Procrastination
by rrreeves
Summary: ..OCxVincent.. An unknown woman comes across the old Shinra Mansion and believes it is unoccupied. However, as she starts cleaning and renewing the mansion, Vincent reveals himself. Has humor, but also some angst... Takes place before DoC.
1. Arrival

_OCxVincent. A young woman comes across the old Shinra Mansion, and believes it is unoccupied. But as she starts cleaning and renewing the mansion, Vincent reveals his presence._

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters. If I did, I'd have added an alternative of choosing "Japanese audio and English subs" in the the FF games.  
Oh wow... I've had this story in my head for a while, and it just can't leave me alone, so I thought I'd write it. And then post it up here.

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Chapter 1(edited Oct. 14. 2007) – Arrival

* * *

Rin made her way from door to door in the seemingly abandoned small town. Every time she knocked, she was greeted with complete silence. Having peeked through many of the old windows, she knew there were no one living there, and therefore she had also tried opening the doors to get inside. But she hadn't managed to do so, as they were all locked. It was all rather frustrating, because rain was pouring down and made it hard for her to stay warm. If she couldn't get inside, she would definitely catch a cold. But why was the town empty? 

_...Mass vacation? Town holidays? 'Let-us-all-sneak-into-Gold-Saucer-event'? _None were likely.

Giving a silent sigh, she went to the largest building in town, a huge mansion that she had yet to check. One glance towards the windows told her the place was most likely unoccupied as well. They were all dark and she had difficulties seeing through all the dirt and dust around the frames. It didn't look very inviting, to say the least. She approached the large house slowly, as if not to disturb it. As she arrived in front of the two large main doors, she listened carefully. There was not a sound to be heard, at least not if she ignored the sound of the falling rain. Carefully forcing her slightly trembling hand forward, she knocked on the dark wood. She knocked three times, and all three times she heard nothing but the wind in return.

Relieved, she moved both of her hands to the door handles._ Please be open..._ And as she pushed the doors, they opened.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, waving a fist in triumph. The mansion was obviously the finest house in town, so she had thought it was locked. Why would anyone leave such a fine old building without locking it? It was probably worth a fortune, and the furniture inside was most likely also worth a whole lot. That is, unless someone had already stolen them. Rin entered the mansion and looked around carefully. From what she could see, the place was in good shape. Except from the dust, that is. And the trash. And the dirt.

...And the fiends.

_Wow. No wonder no one locked the door. Who would want to live here?_ Carefully walking further into the ho use, she stopped in front of the stairs and put her arms around herself to in order to stay warm. It was cold in there as well. Rin frowned in irritation as she kept noticing small things that made the house seem worse by the second. This place really needed to be cleaned up. Rin stood there in the hall, glancing around. There was nowhere else for her to go at the moment, and the house was dry, at the very least. It was better being in here than being outside and getting soaked by the rain, that was for sure. She would probably be stuck here for a while.

Then a thought hit her; Why not clean this place? At least until the rain stopped. Rin gave a small smirk.  
That was just what she was going to do. After all, why not? It couldn't hurt.

-----------------------------------

After hours and hours of work and struggling, Rin had finished cleaning the entire main hall and the two small rooms attached to it. No dust was left as she stopped to take in the sight. Even most of the lamps were clean. In order to reach them, Rin had to put a chair on top of a table, and then climb up on top of the chair herself. She wasn't really afraid of heights, but the state of the chair on which she had been standing on worried her. It was rather old, and looked as though it would break if she didn't handle it with care.

In one of her breaks she also took her time to explore the rest of the house. All she had found was three more rooms on the same floor as the hall, and some smaller rooms up the stairs. There was still a lot to be done, but the worst was gone. She had already started, which would help her to continue. It made her feel useful, in a way. Rin decided to clean the three other rooms on the main floor tomorrow, as it would feel good to complete an entire floor. That would be and accomplishment she would be happy to make.

While working, the hours passed quickly. Evening was about to turn into night, and Rin had rarely felt that tired. Feeling her stomach growling, she grabbed an apple from her bag. While chewing she couldn't help but notice a weak breeze.  
The same breeze had been there all day, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. From what she knew, all the windows were closed and so were the doors. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked across the room and settled on a couch in the corner, bringing along her bag and her sword in case the fiends would wake her up.

Using her black coat as a blanket she slowly fell asleep, still feeling her muscles ache after a day filled with much more physical work than she had ever accomplished before in just  
a single day.

-----------------------------------

Vincent Valentine listened closely to the faint sounds from above. The sounds had started earlier that day and had lasted for hours. From what he had heard, there was only one person. But who? ...Someone from Cloud's team? No, if it would have been them, they would at least let him know they were there. But what was the person doing? Judging from the sounds, it seemed to him as if he or she was searching for something. He heard things being moved back and forth occasionally and heard doors being opened and closed every now and then.

Vincent walked through the library and then past his old room, and approached the staircase leading up. As he moved up, the sounds stopped. Vincent stopped as well, wondering vaguely whether the person had heard him or not. ...No. They couldn't have. He continued and eventually reached the top of the stairs and opened the secret door. It didn't make a sound, which was good for him. After walking through the door, it closed slowly behind him and stopped some of the cold breeze from the basement. He moved soundlessly towards the hall and looked down the stairs to the main hall.

What he saw surprised him.

He had expected thieves, perhaps even treasure hunters, but this was just _strange._ The main hall was clean, free of dust and dirt that had gathered there over the years. It looked nearly as good new. The hall was considerably cleaner and lighter than he remembered, and the floor shone in the faint light from the lamps. The curtains were no longer dusty, and even the carpets seemed new. The only thing that wasn't clean was the largest lamp, which had most likely been out of reach for whoever had cleaned the mansion.

When he looked closer, there was a person sprawled on an old couch, partly covered by a dark coat.

Why that person would clean the house was beyond him. Vincent vaguely wondered if the young woman was the owner of the house, but doubted it. Shinra wouldn't sell this mansion; It had too much important information and knowledge within it. Not just in the shape of old books, but it also contained many notes and papers of old experiments that should have never even been permitted.

Perhaps she was working for Shinra as a secretary or scientist. Frowning slightly, Vincent pulled back. If he wanted to, he could scare her away any time. But if she was from Shinra she would undoubtedly come back with reinforcements. That was not something he wished for.  
------------------------------------------------

For two more days the young woman worked as hard as she could, and two more times Vincent tried to find out if she was a civilian, a Shinra worker, or an insane tourist with cleaning urges. She had no Shinra label on her clothes, nor did she have a Shinra uniform. Her bag was too small for her to be a tourist, and he hadn't seen her with a camera even once. She was probably just passing by.

Rin on the other hand, had no worries at all. Thinking she was alone, she continued cleaning. On her first day she had found some soap and a bucket of water somewhere to use in her 'quest'. During her time in the house she had found various strange notes around, and also an empty safe. Thinking some treasure hunters had probably been here before her, she chose to ignore it. She felt useful when she cleaned the mansion, and though the rain had already stopped, she continued cleaning.

On the third day she had only one room left. It was small and even colder than the others, but Rin tried not to care. A breeze came from an old wall in the room, but she couldn't come up with a way to stop it. After cleaning the floor and the windows she brought the curtains, blankets and pillows outside for some air.  
Working as much as she did eventually led to the fact that she started needing a shower, so while the the things she had found got some air, she searched through the small town for a way to get inside one of the houses. After searching for a while, she found a bit of rusty wire next to an old well. Using this, she managed to unlock one of the oldest doors in the town.

The house had a small bathroom, and Rin took a long shower in order to get rid of all the dust and dirt. To her delight, the water was warm. Looking in the mirror afterwards, she noticed she was paler than usual. That was probably because she'd been inside the mansion most of the time. Rin also looked tired, which made her slightly annoyed.

Trying her best to ignore her tiredness, she returned outside and got the curtains, blankets and pillows, and then carried them inside. Walking up the stairs and to the right, she entered the cold room again. Rin placed the pillows and blankets on the large bed and arranged them nicely. Then she walked around the bed and over to the window. Once there, she got the curtains back up in front of the window. As they were finally in place, Rin sighed in relief. _Mission completed! House cleaned!_

...But now that she thought of it, there were still monsters in there. She had avoided them during the day, and they had avoided her when she was asleep. After all, who would want to harm a seemingly lifeless person sleeping under an old coat on an even older coach? She doubted the fiends found her too interesting.  
Satisfied, Rin turned around with a smile on her face, but then froze. Her smile disappeared as fast as it had come.

A tall man wearing a red cloak looked down at her. His hair was untidy, long and raven black, and he was paler than anyone she had ever seen before. On his left arm he wore something akin to a golden claw, and in his right hand he held a gun which was currently pointing to the floor. But what was most disturbing of all, was that he had red eyes.

Her mouth opened slightly as she looked at the man. She backed away, but got no longer than to the window. He didn't move an inch, he just observed her as her eyes glanced back and forth between his red orbs.

"Who...?" she managed, her eyes never leaving him, yet never resting as they kept moving between his own two eyes.

"...I live here. The last time I checked, I can't recall having others live here as well." he said in a low voice. His mouth was hidden behind his cloak, making it look like he had not spoken at all. At his words, Rin panicked. He owned this house, and she had been here for _days._ What would she do? Did he know she had been here, or did he perhaps think she had just arrived. Upon remembering the fact that she had cleaned the entire mansion, she doubted he'd buy it if she said she had just arrived. Looking more scared for each second that passed, she took a deep breath.

"...I-I arrived here some days ago, and I thought no one lived here... And then I thought it wouldn't hurt if I just-just cleaned the mansion a little-" she said in a trembling voice.

"Are you from Shinra?" the red-eyed man demanded. Rin shook her head violently. Watching him was like watching a statue, he had yet to move at all. Even so, he looked very much alive.  
"No! I'm not from Shinra at all! Um, but if that's bad, I suppose I can go apply for a job there, right?" Rin said, talking so fast she wondered if he had heard what she said. The man's eyebrows lowered slightly.

"Would you do that? I can't say I am too fond of Shinra." he said, his dark voice sending shivers down Rin's spine, making her go from scared to terrified.

"A-Actually, I wouldn't. I would _say_ I would, but then I'd leave this place, but never join Shinra anyway. But you don't like Shinra, so I'll tell you the truth again: I'm _not_ from Shinra. And I really don't like them either." Rin said. _...Did that even make sense?_ Without really realizing it, she grabbed the curtains and pulled them around herself as if they could shield her.

"...Good." he said, moving to the side slightly. Rin's eyes moved from the man to an opening in the wall. For a short moment she relaxed, as she had finally found out where that breeze came from. She quickly moved her focus to the man again. Though he had most likely noticed how frightened she was, she ought to at least try to be polite.

"So... I'm Rin. Nice to meet you." Rin said. _Nice? Smooth. Now he must think I'm desperate._  
"...I am Vincent Valentine." he responded, not copying the 'nice-to-meet-you'. Rin smiled an awkward smile, gathering her courage again.

"Mr. Valentine. I'm very sorry for intruding, and I hope you can forgive me for... um... cleaning the mansion...? Anyway, if you want me to leave, I'll go right away." she said, getting slightly confused. Her words didn't make much sense. Vincent said nothing. And Rin said nothing in return. And Vincent returned that silence again. Both of them remained quiet for quite a while, which did _not _help Rin very much.  
"...Please don't sue me! If you want me to mess up the place again, I can go outside and get some dirt and put it on the floors! Or if you don't want that, I can run errands for you, or cook for you, and if you think I haven't cleaned the mansion properly, I can-"

"There will be no need to redo anything." Vincent interrupted. Rin looked up at him. She couldn't read his expression, but guessed he was serious about what he said.  
"...But why did you clean this house?" he asked, his voice slightly lighter. Rin looked down, lowering her guard. He didn't seem like an enemy.

"Um... To be of help, perhaps? I don't like to be useless. It's better to help people instead. I feel useful." she said silently. Vincent seemed to accept that.  
"...Do you live far from here?" he asked, and Rin frowned, her fear fading gradually. Vincent looked intimidating, yes, but he couldn't be _that _bad.

"I don't think I have a home." she said hesitantly, looking towards the strange opening in the wall again. He didn't say anything in return. It was an odd answer, she knew that, but it was true. She doubted she had a home to return to, but couldn't be sure until she had built up the nerve to go back and check. Noticing that Vincent moved again, she turned to him. He walked back into the hole in the wall, and then walked down the stairs.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, and he stopped without turning.  
"Can I stay, or should I leave?" she asked quietly. Vincent turned his head slightly to the side, but not enough for her to see his face again.

"...That is up to you. I may live here, but I do not own this mansion. Shinra owns it." he said, and his voice echoed in a way that made him sound ghost-like. _...Not his?_  
Rin wondered vaguely how long he had lived there without anyone knowing. As the door started closing, Rin moved over to it.  
"Thank you, sir..." she said, but she doubted he heard her. Then the door closed completely. A grin slowly spread on her face._He said I could stay if I wanted to! Yes!_  
A sudden feeling of relief filled her, and she jumped out of the room and ran down the stairs.

In her rush she managed to stumble, and fell down the stairs head first. Pulling up her arms to protect herself, she braced herself for whatever could be in her way. Rolling down the stairs was not among the most quiet things she had done, but once she reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped, she concluded that the noise was worse than the damage.  
She wasn't hurt at all, at least not physically. Her pride was slightly dented, though.

She got to her feet, and noticed that her arm felt slightly strange. Looking down to the floor, she noticed her sword. She had put it there this morning. Feeling her arm getting warmer, she frowned and brought it up in front of her face. And then she immediately turned away. It was bleeding. While mentally reminding herself to never leave her sword close to the stairs ever again, she hurried over to her bag while clutching her arm.

Using her left hand to search for bandages, she tried to remember what she had learned about cuts. Should she hold her arm up high? Did she have to wash it first, or should she just stop the bleeding? Rin found the small first-aid box, opened it and found the bandages. After literally covering her right arm with bandages from her hand to her elbow, she managed to stop the bleeding. She still felt dizzy from the loss of blood, but decided to wash the carpet before she rested, just in case Vincent would come back and think she had tried committing suicide by rolling over her own sword. That would _not_ help.

After cleaning up she sat down at the bottom of the stairs, away from her sword this time. Cleaning with just one hand wasn't easy at all.

-----------------------------------------

Vincent had just entered the library in the basement when he heard the strangest thing. The sound came from the main hall, at least from what he could hear. When he heard nothing afterwards, he chose to ignore the sound. If Rin had been unlucky enough to fall down the stairs, that was not his problem. If she had, she had most likely not damaged herself anyway. Nonetheless, he doubted it was serious.

Leaving it at that, Vincent continued his own little project of putting all the books into their shelves, carefully sorting them by the categories 'Read' and 'Don't read'. The books about Sepiroth and Jenova was in the latter category, as were the books about Mako experiments on humans.  
After seeing Rin cleaning, he had started tidying the basement himself. If she ever tried coming down here, she would believe he was really bad at keeping his 'home' clean.

Therefore, he had removed all the skeletons and skulls from the failed experiments that had been made there before. He had also used magic to get rid of the bats. Just silent magic, though, as shooting would make Rin wonder just what he was doing down here. Not that he thought she would ever wander down into the basement. She wouldn't dare to.

The only thing he didn't do, was cleaning. He just couldn't imagine himself using water and soap to clean away the dust down here. Vincent admitted that he _had _cleaned the room containing his coffin, but that was all. He would _never _tell anyone. If that information leaked out, the members of Avalanche would have something to bother him about every time they met. He didn't want that to happen.

-----------------------------------------

Rin took a small walk back to the house she had taken a shower in earlier to search for some food. Her fruit had come to an end, and all she had was an almost empty bottle of water. Opening closet after closet, she found some long-lasting food that had probably been left behind by the ones who used to live there. To her delight, she also found an old book with recipes. She wouldn't have been able to make proper food without it. Carrying the food back to the mansion was slightly difficult due to her damaged arm, but she managed it. It would be good with warm food for a change.

While cleaning the house she had found a kitchen. There was a bathroom in the house as well, but it had been covered by boxes and old furniture. Rin could have taken a shower there, but hadn't managed to turn on the water properly. She would try to repair it later in stead.

As she entered the kitchen she put the food on the desk. Then she tried turning on the water. It worked perfectly this time. In stead of being slightly dirty, it was now perfectly clean and cold. Rin smirked, satisfied.

She wondered if she should make food for Vincent as well. For all she knew, he could have a huge kitchen in the basement. But he could also be one of those who didn't eat an awful lot of food. The thought made her frown. She grabbed the recipe book and chose one of the easy recipes. She wasn't a master at making food, but she wasn't _that_ bad. For now, she would just try making some. And if it turned out good, she could offer some to Vincent. If he didn't want to eat it, he didn't have to.

* * *

...  
And thus, chapter one is completed. Hope you liked it, because if you did, I'll continue it. :) I think I'll like chapter two even better.

Was Vincent in character? ...I _think _he was. And I _hope_ he was.


	2. Visitors

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or Vincent Valentine. (But I own Rin.)  
Warning: Cliffhanger...

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Chapter 2 (edited Oct. 15. 2007) - Visitors

* * *

Rin walked into the room with the secret door and stopped. In her hands she carried a plate with a lid, topped by a short note for Vincent. It was a little frightening being here, it was as if Vincent _knew _she was there. She bent down and left the plate next to the hidden door. Still pondering whether or not she should leave it behind, she hesitated. She rose to her feet very slowly, making up her mind as she did, and then knocked a couple of times before she could change her mind about it. 

Then she jerked around and ran back downstairs.  
This time she was careful not to stumble and fall.

--------------------------

Vincent stopped in his tracks. A knocking sound reached his ears and he narrowed his eyes slightly, considering the possibilities. It could have been Rin. He thought she was too intimidated by him to even try such a thing. Perhaps it was something important. He doubted it, though. They were in the middle of nowhere; What could possibly be _important _out here? Not much. He wondered why she had even bothered coming here in the first place. An abandoned town with dusty old houses was not the most desirable place to settle down in.

Vincent slowly made his way to the stairs and walked up. As he opened the door he was met with a wave of warmth, and immediately came to the conclusion that Rin had somehow made the ovens in this old mansion work. That was an achievement.

Noticing something by his feet, he looked down to see a plate with a lid on top, and also a note. What was this? He bent down and grabbed the note.  
_Mr. Valentine. Sorry for troubling you. I made some food and brought you some as well. If you don't want any, that's okay. I promise it's not poisoned. -Rin._

Vincent raised his eyebrows at this. Food, for _him_. An odd thing, indeed. No one had made food for him before without him requesting it first. He glanced at the note one more time. And Rin claimed it wasn't poisoned. Did she think he would believe the food _was _poisoned? She was most likely of the opinion that he was more than just a little intimidating. She wasn't the first one, though, and Vincent didn't offer it too much thought. He was used to it.

He grabbed the plate and removed the lid, and had to admit that the warm scent of newly made soup was tempting. While closing the lid, he came to a conclusion.  
"...Hm." he muttered, having decided to accept the soup that Rin had left for him.  
-----------------------------

Rin felt her heartbeat increase as she heard the faint sound of the secret door opening. She hadn't heard it last time, but perhaps it was soundless sometimes and noisy other times. After hearing the door open, she waited in silence for any sound at all. She hoped he wouldn't leave it behind. That would make her feel rather stupid. To her, Vincent seemed like a very serious person, but he had been polite enough to not kick her out. Then again, he didn't really live here.

"_...Hm."_ she heard, and her eyes widened. Shortly afterwards she heard the door close, and then walked up the stairs and back into the room. To her delight, the plate was gone, and so was the lid and the note. She flashed a grin to no one in particular. That meant he must have liked how it smelled. She left the room with a feeling of satisfaction, and still smiled as she walked downstairs. All that remained now was the taste. She hoped he would like it.  
Rin walked into one of the larger rooms in the mansion, which had an old piano. She had moved in there because it was close to the kitchen. Next to her black bag, she found her sword and ran outside. Even after all the cleaning, she found she needed some workout. She didn't really do it all that often, only when she traveled. When she was in a town, like now, she was usually among the laziest inhabitants.

-----------------------------

Rin breathed heavily. She had gone to train earlier and found a path leading up into the mountains. There, she had found an old Mako reactor. Fiends were all over the place. Not just in the reactor, but also around it, as well as in the caves surrounding it. For every fiend she defeated, an new one appeared. She didn't really mind that in the beginning, but after a while she got tires. Rin was fairly strong, but got tired easily.

She didn't have much materia, but she still only used one anyway; Her Ice materia. The others did no physical damage or simply took too much energy. Actually, she didn't use her sword at all, just ice attacks. It worked fine against the fiends she faced. But after defeating quite a lot of them, she came across a dragon. And because she doubted her ability to defeat the huge thing, she ran all the way back to the mansion.

Still breathing for air, she opened the heavy doors and closed them behind her, then fell to her knees. Although she doubted the dragon would have followed her all the way down here, it still felt good to be back inside the house. She still felt somewhat triumphant after running all the way back here.

"Hah... Take that." she breathed, speaking to no one in particular.

"Take what?" someone said behind her. Surprised, she jerked around, still sitting on the floor. Vincent looked down at her, observing the unusual scene. Rin shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing! I've just been... training." she said, wondering if running away counted as training at all. But she _had _defeated some fiends as well. That was definitely training.  
"...In your condition?" he demanded, his voice sounding as cold as it had the first time they had met. Rin frowned slightly, wondering what he meant.

"Huh? My condition? I'm fine." she said, her breath still annoyingly loud, as if mocking her.  
Vincent nodded towards her arm, still covered in bandages.

"Oh... Actually, I fell down the stairs." she mumbled awkwardly, looking away. She couldn't look him in the eyes, which narrowed at her explanation.  
"Anyway, I'm fine, I didn't use my sword while training. I just used materia." she explained. Upon hearing that, he frowned and walked towards her. She watched him nervously as he bent down and took her sword. Then he examined it with what seemed like disinterest.

"...Then why is it that your sword is stained with blood?" he asked, his voice dark. Rin shifted uncomfortably again. When she could no longer stand his gaze, she looked down on her bandaged arm and tapped her fingers lightly on the floor next to her. She could almost hear his thinking through the silence, and hoped he wasn't as smart as he looked.

"Did you by any chance fall on top of your sword when you _descended _the stairs, miss Rin?" he asked, amusement just barely audible in his question. Rin felt her cheeks turn bright red, and she frowned in embarrassment. Vincent smirked. This just increased her discomfort, and she wouldn't be surprised if he thought she was clumsy, stupid _and_ mentally unbalanced. She felt his red eyes observing her even redder face, and flashed him a sheepish smile._  
_

"So... Did you like the soup I made?" she mumbled, desperate for a change of topic.  
"...Yes." he replied. Then, after a couple of seconds, Vincent turned around and headed for the stairs. Rin got to her feet, swaying slightly. _'Yes'? Is that it?_ And then she noticed he was still holding her sword.

"Wait, my sword!" she said, starting to follow him. Vincent was now on top of the stairs, and turned around.  
"I shall return it to you once your arm is healed. Until then, try not to harm yourself further." he informed. At this, Rin stopped walking. It made sense, actually. And she still had her materia, so she'd manage. _I suppose I'll just... rest until my arm's good. _Even so, it bothered her slightly that he hasn't asked for her permission first. Perhaps he thought it was for her best. She must have made a really bad first impression. Then she looked down on her arm again, displeased by its state. She didn't have any items to heal it with._  
_

"But don't you have some Restore materia, or perhaps some potions to heal my arm with..?" she asked, knowing she had none herself.  
"...No. I had some before, but not all of those were mine. I returned them to their rightful owners once our quest was completed." he said in a low voice, and walked away without a sound.

-----------------------------

As Vincent walked into the basement, still holding the sword, he found himself thinking about training. Rin had been out training, and her arm was hurt. That had obviouly not stopped her. Come to think of it, it had been a while since he had done a real workout himself, and he was starting to feel that. Not from his muscles and reflexes, they were in good shape, and he rarely got tires. But inside him, Chaos yearned for some time of freedom. In other words, Chaos wanted out. Vincent put Rin's sword on the table in the library. He would let Chaos out, but not now, and not here. He would deal with it tomorrow, far away from here. Vincent sighed, detesting the monster that Hojo had cursed him with.

During his long life he had rarely met people who were kind. From the very first time he had met Lucrecia, she had been good towards him. But in the end she had chosen Hojo, and Vincent had failed to stop her. He knew Lucrecia would never blame him, yet _he did._  
The others he had met had only behaved kindly if they could earn something from it. They usually treated their bosses with great respect, hoping for a promotion, and then they treated others like inferiors. Vincent had been the opposite. He had respected most of his co-workers, but the scientist Hojo was a man he would never be able to forgive. That man had been beyond help already back then, and stayed that way until the end.

Cloud and the others had been an exception. They had been kind most of the time, with the exception of a couple of Cid's worse jokes and Yuffie's pranks. And Rin, what would she earn by being kind? ...Nothing Vincent knew of.

--------------------------

The next morning Rin woke up later than usual. For once she had actually slept really well. Smiling by herself, she wandered around upstairs and watered the few plants that were there. She wondered how the plants had lasted for such a long time. It probably had something to do with Shinra's scientists and their addiction to experimentation. They didn't just work with human experiments. Perhaps they made potions from these plants.  
Rin stopped as she heard a door opening. She walked to the main hall and looked down to the entrance downstairs to see that the main doors were open. In the hall below her were three persons: A grinning man with a cigar, a girl with short black hair, and a muscular man with a gun attached to his arm.

Upon seeing her, the grinning man walked over to the stairs and looked up at her.

"Who're you? You the one who's renovated this shack?" he asked in a loud voice, then glanced around the hall.  
"...Is Vincent here?" the girl asked, ignoring her loud friend. Rin blinked. _Friends of Vincent?_

"Uh, I think he's in the basement. I don't know for sure." she said, watching the three of them.  
"Okay, we'll go get 'im, then." said the man with the gun-arm. They walked up the stairs and stopped in front of her.

"By the way, I'm Cid Highwind. _Captain_ Cid." he said in a somewhat proud way, grabbing her hand and shaking it. She flashed him a sheepish smile.  
"Yuffie Kisaragi here! You Vincent's girlfriend?" the girl asked, her eyes wide. At this, Rin's smile faded and she blushed.  
"No, not at all, I'm not Vincent's girlfr-"  
"Name's Barret. You clean up this place, or did Vincent do it? Hard to imagine 'im creepin' on the floor to clean dust, though." the gun-man interrupted. Rin, overwhelmed by these colorful visitors, tried regaining some composure.

"...My name's Rin, nice to meet you." she said, and Cid nodded. Yuffie waved a hand while grinning. Barret turned sideways upon seeing something.

"Yo, Vincent. How'ya been doin'?" he said, and the others turned. Vincent had probably heard their conversation.  
"...What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low and silent, yet clear in the large room.  
"Good morning to you too, grumpy!" Yuffie exclaimed.  
"Just droppin' by to see how ya were, that's all." Cid said. Vincent moved his red gaze to the open main door.

"I see. I am fine." he informed. His words were rewarded with silence. None of the said anything for a while, and Rin shifted slightly.

"I'll just... close the door..." she said, trying to break the awkwardness.  
"That will not be necessary. I will be leaving for training shortly." Vincent said, and Rin couldn't help but noticing his voice was strained. The others seemed to have noticed as well. "I didn't cross half the dang Planet just to leave again!" Cid shouted, and Yuffie grabbed his arm and dragged him down the stairs.  
"Don't mind Cid, he just wants an excuse for not returning to Shera! He forgot her birthday yesterday!" she said, and Cid cursed loudly. Barret followed them, assisting Yuffie in her struggles with Cid.

"...We'll be back in a couple o' days. You better not be out trainin' when we do!" Barret warned Vincent. He didn't seem too angry, though.  
Cid managed to slam the doors as they left by using his feet to kick. Vincent moved swiftly down the stairs and grabbed the handles of the doors, trying to open the doors again. Vincent frowned as they did not even budge.

"...It must have locked when they shut the door..." he said quietly, mostly to himself. Vincent moved to the windows to see if the others were still outside, but they were already out of sight. Frowning, he tried opening a windows, but failed.  
"The windows are stuck. I found it out while trying to clean them." Rin said, noticing that Vincent seemed slightly uneasy as he didn't manage to open anything. If he wanted to go outside to train, he would probably have to break open a window. As he heard her speak, he spun around and looked right into her eyes, as if he had forgotten she was there at all. Rin became worried, wondering what could be bothering him.

-----------------------------------

Vincent turned back to the window he was standing in front of. Should he break it to get out? ...No, that would seem rather desperate. Feeling Chaos inside him, he frowned.  
If he would just have woken up earlier this would have been much easier. He found himself unable to think clearly, but tried staying calm. _The basement. _Vincent hurried up the stairs, where Rin was still standing. She looked troubled.

"...It seems we are stuck inside the mansion, so I will be training in the basement today. Don't come down there." he said in the calmest voice he could manage. Before she could answer, he left her and moved for the old library. By the time Chaos was finished, the room would be a huge mess again, and Vincent's tidying would not be visible at all.  
If Rin hadn't been there, he would have broken a window to get out. But with her there, breaking the window(or something else, for that matter) would seem strange, and in most cases desperate. She would think he was afraid of being in a limited space. And being Vincent, having slept for thirty years in a _coffin, _he was _not _afraid of _that._ Being stuck in a mansion was actually quite luxurious compared to his coffin, he'd say.

Entering the tidy library, he moved as far away from the upper floors as possible. He could no longer hold Chaos back.

With a growl possibly louder than the engine of Cid's airship, Chaos took control and broke free. His large wings hit the shelves containing books, and some of the old books fell out upon impact. But Chaos couldn't care less about the books. He dashed ahead, searching for the strongest fiend withing his reach. Then he spotted a weapon on the table. He glared at it for some long seconds, then grabbed it. It would be a nice change. After all, using just his claws, wings, teeth and magic could become dull. He didn't wish for that to happen. Chaos turned around and ran for the stairs.

During his quest with Cloud and the others, Chaos had never really cared about hurting Vincent's allies. That was usually because the enemy or the fiend they fought looked stronger than any of them. But now, there was no such powerful fiend around for Chaos to fight. Which meant he would have to search for one himself.

--------------------------------

Rin inhaled sharply as she heard a loud growl from the basement. Whatever Vincent was fighting, she hoped its strength wasn't as strong as its growl. The fiends down there were probably very strong compared to the ones up here, but she had never heard any of those growl like _that _before. It worried her a little, but Vincent would handle it. He looked strong, at least to her.

Being in the room with the piano, she was almost as far away from the secret door as she could get. But why had Vincent told her not to come down there? She wouldn't have come down there anyway, there was no need for him to say that. Perhaps it had been another way of telling her she wasn't wanted there. Rin frowned, pouting slightly where she sat. It seemed she had yet to gain his trust. How could she convince him she that he could trust her? That was a hard question.

Then she heard a strange scraping sound, similar to the sound of dog claws when it runs across wooden floor. Only this sound was stronger and louder. Then she heard a sound that sounded like the first one, only this time it sounded like metal on rock. What was that? Rin narrowed her eyes in concentration as she tried finding out what it was. Vincent? The sound of flapping wings told her that was not the case. The powerful flapping sounds ceased, and for some long seconds nothing could be heard. Rin waited, slightly anxious.

"...Mr. Valentine?" she heard herself say, but her voice was so quiet she doubted anyone would hear her.

She was wrong.

Right after she had uttered those words, the flapping of wings started again, and the sound of scratching claws against walls accompanied it. She heard the sound of what she believed was the lamp in the main hall falling and breaking into pieces. The loud smash as if hit the floor made Rin flinch, and she stared at the door with wide eyes. If Rin were to describe herself, she would not say she was scared. The feeling that gradually grew inside her felt more like being terrified, horrified and petrified at the same time. _Something _was in the hall, and that _something _had heard her.

And it was coming for her.

Then a large clawed hand grabbed the door frame, obviously belonging to a fiend. Shortly thereafter, two legs and one more arm appeared. The winged creature lowered a little to get through the opening, and Rin saw it's face.  
The shining yellow eyes pierced her own. He might as well have stabbed her, that was how it felt. Shocked, Rin got to her feet, barely breathing. The monster grinned, and its large teeth seemed to shine in the weak light. Rin could _not _fight this on her own. The fiend leered at her and didn't even blink while observing her trembling form. She needed help.

"Vincent! ...Vincent!" she screamed, and if possible, the monster grinned even more. She stumbled backwards, searching for anything at all to use as a weapon. Something else caught her attention.  
The fiend was holding _her sword._ Rin's eyes widened in fear. She jerked around and ran for her bag, but was stopped as the fiend attacked her.

One of its hands grabbed her shoulder and its claws pierced through her clothes and made their way into her skin. The creature forced her to turn around, and she met its stabbing gaze once again. Unable to even breathe, paralyzed by its eyes, she felt her knees fail and she fell to her knees. The grip on her shoulder tightened and the claws dug deeper. The pain spread down her arm, and woke her up somewhat. She grabbed its wrist and tried to push away the large hand. The fiend responded by stabbing her bandaged arm with her own sword. She cried out in pain and let go. The new pain mixed with the old pain made her snap out of her temporary petrification. Rin tried turning around to grab her bag, containing her materia and items, but it was out of reach.

Hearing the monster growl, she turned around and did the only thing she could think of, as both of her arms were currently of no use: She spat into one of his eyes. He growled again and brought his clawed hands to his face out of reflex, freeing Rin. But he still didn't drop her sword. She rolled over and grabbed her bag, the pain still burning. Her hand grabbed a random materia, and she used it. A blue and white light surrounded the fiend and he was surrounded in ice. Rin threw the materia back in the bag and grabbed the bag, then started running to the door. Once she was through it she heard the ice breaking behind her. A growl filled the air, vibrating through her body, and she knew he would follow her.

-----------------------------

...And just as a side note: Vincent doesn't know what Chaos is doing. He'll probably find out later, though, after Chaos returns to his body.  
..cliffy: D


	3. Agony

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Remember: In this fic Vincent is unaware of what Chaos does.

* * *

Agony (Edited October 23, 2007)

* * *

Rin ran into the hall and stopped dead. One part of her wanted to break a window and get out of here, but she couldn't. Glancing up the stairs, she wondered if Vincent had heard her calling his name. He hadn't answered. What if he was injured? Rin's indecision ended as she heard the fiend coming from behind her, and she decided to run for the basement. She ran as fast as she could, desperately trying to outrun the fiend while at the same time trying to ignore her growing pain. Even if she would find Vincent, how could she possibly help him if he was hurt?

No matter how much she tried to deny it, she couldn't help but think the monster looked somewhat like a human. She entered the secret door and continued running down the stairs, hoping the size of the fiend would make it slow down when the space was small. She continued farther into the dark basement, stopping once she found a door. Inside were many coffins, all of them open. Of all possible things, seeing _coffins _only made her more scared, so Rin continued into a room filled with books.

"Vincent, are you down here?!" she called, and was taken aback by her own dry, frightened voice. The tall shelves towered above her, making her wonder just how large this underground place was. She couldn't hear the fiend, and turned to see if it was gone. For all she knew, it could have given up chasing her. If she was lucky it had broken a window or shattered the doors to get out into the free.

But she wasn't lucky at all.

The demon landed in the middle of the spiraling staircase and looked in her direction. Rin ducked down, hiding behind a table of some sort. At the same time, she glanced around for any sign of Vincent. There was none. If he wasn't here, had he left? Rin frowned in worry as she tried to think out a way to get out without being caught by the large fiend. She could wait until he passed the table, and then run for the door.

Something grabbing her neck stopped her train of thoughts amd made her drop the bag. Rin desperately tried to open the hand of the fiend, but he was too strong. He hoisted her up to her legs and forced her to face him. His glowing orbs stared at her, enjoying the fear he obviously found in her eyes.

_"Searching for dear __Vincent, are we?"_she heard the monster snarl, and the sound was far worse than any of the growls had been. Her hands tightened around his, and she tried kicking his stomach. He didn't even flinch as she hit him, and didn't seem to care at all. She would've tried spitting him in the eye one more time if it wouldn't have been for the fact that he was trying to strangle her. She couldn't move her head at all.

_"Guess what, sweetheart. He left you behind and __escaped."_ he said in a whisper, his toothy grin right next to her ear. She didn't want to believe him. But Vincent wasn't there. Where else could he be but outside? If he had come across this fiend, it was only common sense to escape. Had he thought she would be able to run away as well? As the grip around her neck loosened just a tiny bit, she lowered her head and bit his hand. Reflex made him withdraw his hand, and Rin was freed. Before the fiend could reach for her again, she ran for the stairs. This time she left the bag behind, knowing she had no chance of outrunning him if she brought it along.

She managed to run half way up the spiraling stairs before she heard flapping of wings. A second later she felt the air vibrate and saw a flash of wings before his arms locked around her in a death-grip. To her despair, he still held her sword.

_"__...You look tired. Are you in need of assistance?"_he said in a growl, and his chest vibrated against her back as he spoke.  
"Let me GO!" she screamed, wasting valuable breath. His grip on her only strengthened upon hearing her words. She tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he didn't let her. They exited the secret door and once again came into the main hall. Rin was starting to feel light headed from her loss of blood, and closed her eyes trying to concentrate on breathing. However, upon feeling the monster laugh silently, she opened her eyes again. They were facing the main doors.

_"__The doors are locked, are they not? Have you ever been used to break doors?"_he asked in a disturbing voice.

As he sped up, heading straight for the door, Rin closed her eyes and braced herself as best as she could. They both hit the doors, which broke off their hinges upon impact. Rin and the fiend continued out into the rain, and just as she thought they would both land in a huge dirty pond, she heard and felt the flapping of his wings. They took off into the air.  
For each flap of his wings, they rose several feet into the air. When Rin glanced down, the ground outside the mansion looked like a small patch of dirt.

A devastating thought crossed her mind. Was he going to drop her? From this altitude?  
_ "How are you feeling? Not very good, I presume?"_ he asked in a growl, and she felt his arms loosen. Afraid to fall, she tried to hold on to his arms, wrists, hands, anything that could keep her safe.  
_"...Allow me to ease the pressure." _he suggested in a snarl, and let go of her. His skin was already wet due to the rain, and her grip around his wrist slipped. For a short moment she felt weightless, but then she started falling. There was nothing she could do as the ground got closer disturbingly fast. Bracing herself would not help: Her body would break, she was sure of it. She couldn't even breathe. But just as she was about to hit the ground, she felt an intense pain in her leg as the fiend once more grabbed her. His claws tore through her clothes and continued into her ankle. Rin felt as if someone had pierced her leg with knives and then started moving them back and forth. The pain was unbearable.

_"__...Sorry, but I cannot possibly let you die without you knowing the name of you killer."_he revealed, and for a very short moment she felt grateful that he had a name.  
_"__Chaos is the name with which I am granted."_he said in a growl, and her heart fluttered in fear once more. He dropped her and she landed on the wet ground with a thud. The pond in which she had landed was cold, and she felt the water soak her clothes and cool down her wounds. Feeling her pain ease somewhat, she tried to get to her legs one more time. Chaos prevented her from doing that by shoving his claws into her side, holding her down.

Rin cried out in pain, but Chaos didn't let that stop him from letting her own sword run down her leg, from her knee to her foot. New pain spread from her already injured leg. That was more than Rin could take. She felt herself trembling in dread and agony as Chaos started flapping his wings, which cut her arms and face. Rin couldn't make a sound, not even breathe. The wings slashed across her, cutting her arms and face. The papercuts burned as his wings hit her, and she felt she couldn't make it.

But then he stopped. Tears escaped from her eyes and ran down her cheeks, mixing with her blood. Chaos removed her sword from her leg and moved his other hand to his head as a displeased frown spread on his face.

_"...Tsch. I never get to fully delight in anything before _he_gets back."_Chaos snarled, and Rin's vision started blurring.

Chaos turned and dashed in the direction of the mansion and disappeared from her sight, her sword still in his grip. Rin closed her eyes to prevent the cold rain from blurring her sight any further. _...He? _Who was Chaos talking about?

-----------------------------------------

Chaos was angry and satisfied at the same time. As he entered the dark basement, dripping wet from the rain outside, he grinned of his plan. If he had wanted to, he could have killed the girl with one blow from the sword he held. But he had left her alive. His grin widened. When Vincent returned, he would find her barely alive, or perhaps already dead.. And then he would blame himself. If he found her alive and couldn't save her, that would be even better.

Vincent's soul would darken from the guilt. Chaos would feast upon that dark guilt and become stronger. Perhaps even strong enough to break out of Vincent whenever he wanted, without Vincent being able to hold him back. As of now, that was his goal. He had other ambition as well, but they had to wait until he was in control. Chaos closed his eyes in a pleased frown as he felt himself change back into Vincent, and let the sword fall to the ground.

--------------------------------------

As Vincent returned to his own familiar shape he looked around to see just how much damage Chaos had done in the basement. To his surprise, only a few books had fallen down. He looked down and saw Rin's sword. He frowned upon seeing the blood on it. It had been blood on it before, but it had been dry. This blood seemed... _fresh. _Had Chaos used the sword to kill off fiends down here? Vincent grabbed it and moved to the table to place it there. But then he spotted a bag on the floor. A black bag. Didn't Rin have a black bag? Vincent narrowed his eyes and looked towards the stairs, and then his eyes widened.

There was blood on the floor. This was more blood than any of the small bats down here would ever leave behind after being killed. And the floor was also wet from what he believed was water.

If anyone would have seen Vincent right now, they would probably say he looked extremely calm and collected.  
However, if they would have taken a closer look, they would also notice that he was not breathing.

After some long seconds of thinking out possibilities as to what had happened, he dashed forward towards the stairs. Halfway up he saw the trail of blood stop somewhat, but he continued running up. As he descended the stairs in the main hall, he stopped. The large lamp was on the floor, shattered, and the walls were tainted with large claw marks. The main doors were broken, which let a cold breeze flow into the mansion. Rin was obviously not strong enough to do that on her own. Had Chaos gotten all the way out here? Vincent glanced to his right. Was Rin still inside?

"...Miss Rin?" he tried, afraid she would not answer, but also afraid she would answer in a way that confirmed she was injured.  
As there was no response, Vincent decided to try taking a look outside. The water he had seen earlier was probably from the rain.

He walked outside and into the rain, which had probably started to fall not too long ago. As if the pouring rain wasn't enough, fog also made it slightly hard for him to see. Nonetheless he continued through the small garden and through the gate. The he spotted something on the ground, and immediately stopped in his tracks. Rin's lifeless form in a large pond. A disturbingly dark red pond.

Vincent ran over to her and knelt next to her. A feeling surfaced inside him, a cold feeling he knew too well. Anger. But hidden behind the anger was a strange fear that she would be dead,or fear that he would not be able to help her survive. In other words, fear that he would fail someone again. He removed his glove and moved his hand towards hers. Very carefully, he put his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse. Not breathing, he waited for anything at all to happen. If there was something in this world he did not need, it was another death caused by him. There had already been enough.

The weakest pound he had ever felt before tickled his fingers, and he pulled back his hand as if something had burned it. Relief seemed to halve his weight, and he felt himself relax. She was alive. But his short moment of relief soon disappeared as he realized what Chaos' intentions were. He had left her barely alive on purpose. Rin would definitely die, no matter what he did. She didn't have any potions or restore materia, and nor did he. He could only watch.

And now she was bleeding to death.

A strong dislike filled him. He detested what Chaos had done, but he also detested the fact that there was nothing Vincent himself could to save her. He would fail again, the same way he had failed Lucrecia. He would watch her die slowly, as Chaos had wanted him to.

"...Vin..." he heard, and his eyes snapped up to Rin's face. Her eyes were barely open, and her eyebrows were knitted as if in worry.  
"You... have to... run..." she finished, looking frightened, making him frown. Rin thought he was just Vincent. She didn't know Chaos lived inside him. If Vincent had just broken the window back when he could have, Chaos wouldn't have found her. He could have found a proper excuse for doing so, and he could even have brought back a brand new window that could actually be opened. But it was too late to come up with solutions now. Too late.

"...Run." he heard Rin whisper again, and he once again looked at her face. She was smiling, and her sad smile pierced his mind. Why she smiled was beyond him. Was she sure she was dying, had she given up? Or was she pleased to see that he was not injured? Vincent shut his eyes. What was he _doing?_ She needed help, and he just sat there. He had been shameful enough to give up before even _trying_ to save her.  
If there was one thing he had decided never to do again after failing Lucrecia, that had to be _giving up._

As Rin's eyes closed and her smile faded, Vincent calmly took his glove back on and moved his arms to lift Rin. Touching her as if she was made of the frailest kind of porcelain, he managed to get her into his arms. Proceeding carefully, yet fast, he swiftly moved inside and upstairs, into one of the bedrooms. He put her down gently on one of the beds in there before running as fast as he could into the basement. Vincent grabbed Rin's black bag and ran back upstairs. When she damaged her arm earlier she used some old first aid items, which were probably in her bag. After entering the room Rin was in, he started searching through the bag.

If anyone would have seen him like this, they would believe he was searching for some boring, uninteresting item that was not really all that important, because Vincent looked quite calm on the outside. But inside he was just determined. Rin would live, that was what he had decided. Come to think of it, it was wrong to just _decide _things on his own like that, but then again, it helped him stay focused. Focus was good.

Once Vincent found the first aid box and the bandages he moved over to Rin and carefully removed her jacket. She had a black t-shirt underneath, with the words _'Pain cannot be avoided. But suffering can.' _Vincent narrowed his eyes at this, thinking the words were far too ironic in a situation such as this one, but quickly moved his attention to one of her arms instead. Being an ex-turk he was used to damage and injuries, but it still looked bad. Using the first-aid equipment, he cleaned the wound and bandaged it. He tried to be fast, as he didn't want for her to loose any more blood than necessary.

He glanced at her shoulder. The wound was not as bad as the others, so he proceeded to her leg. Carefully moving her now red jeans up to her knee, he frowned at the sight. Her ankle torn up, literary. Vincent had no difficulties seeing this was the doing of Chaos's claws. The same leg also had a deep gash running from her foot to her knee. The cut was obviously made by a sword. Remembering the fresh blood on Rin's sword in the basement, Vincent once again frowned. He hurried to clean the injuries and bandaged her leg. Now noticing a growing red spot on the sheets, Vincent immediately moved her t-shirt up a little. Deep cuts caused by the claws of Chaos came into sight and Vincent once again started cleaning the wounds.

If he would just have had a phone, Rin would already have been healed. He would have called Cloud or some of the others and told them to bring over some mastered Restore materia or elixirs. They would have been there in minutes. But Vincent didn't have a phone. He vaguely remembered how he'd forgotten his phone on Cid's airship before they dropped him off here in Nibelheim. If he would have been Cid, now would've been the time to swear loudly and curse at whoever else were in the room.

He cautiously moved Rin to a sitting position, supporting her back and head. With his other hand he applied bandages around her waist. After doing so, he let her down carefully and then moved to her shoulder, cleaning and bandaging it. Vincent was pleased to see that there were still much bandages left. Rin still had many cuts on her arms, probably from Chaos's wings, and she also had some in her face. Cleaning them as well, he thought there would be no need to put bandages or anything on them, as it would be better if the cuts could just 'breathe' freely. They had stopped bleeding as well.

Vincent wasn't sure whether or not that was a good sign.  
Had the cuts just stopped bleeding by themselves, or had they stopped bleeding simply because Rin had too little blood left?

Not wanting to think like some pessimist, Vincent put the bandages and first-aid box back in the black bag. Then he took a pillow from the other bed in the room and put it  
under her injured and newly bandaged leg. He knew Rin wouldn't last unless he went for help, but he couldn't leave her behind alone for a long time either. She would need assistance in doing anything at all, or at least so he thought. They were too far away from civilization. Rocket town was across the mountains, and Cosmo Canyon was on the other side of a large river that Vincent would need a powerful vehicle to cross.

If he would just have had his phone... Then his eyes narrowed: There may not be any phones in this mansion, but in the other houses...  
Vincent allowed the tiniest of smirks to flee across his face. Satisfied with the fact that his incidental thoughts of phones had actually given him an idea, he got to his feet.

"Wait here." he found himself say in a low, controlled voice, as if Rin could hear him. Vincent moved outside and swiftly made his way to the other houses in Nibelheim. He moved to the door belonging to Cloud's old house and kicked the door open. The lock broke like a stick, and the door opened. He moved inside and quickly got an overview. Glancing into corners, walls and shelves, he realized there were no phones there. Wasting no time, he moved outside again. The door closed on its own with slight help from the wind.

_The Inn._

He ran over to the Inn and opened the door by force. Hoping there would be a phone in there, he moved behind the counter. And there, a shiny old phone greeted him with its presence, placed nicely on one of the shelves. Vincent grabbed it and held it to his ear, dialing the only number he remembered at the time: The number to Seventh Heaven.

After about twenty seconds, Tifa answered the phone.  
_"Hello, this is-"_  
"Vincent here." he interrupted.  
_"Vincent? ...Is something wrong?"_ she asked, sounding surprised, but also worried.

"...I require some assistance. It would be convenient if you could bring some items for healing." he said, and was pleased that his voice acted quite normally, being as deep as always, perfectly controlled.  
_"What? __Are you hurt?"_ Tifa asked, obviously worried.  
"I am fine. Can you send someone over?" he asked, dodging her answer somewhat. He didn't need everyone to know he had turned into Chaos and almost killed someone.

_"...Okay, Vincent. I'm on it. I'll send someone over right away."_ she said, sounding slightly annoyed. She obviously wanted to now why he needed the healing items.

And being Vincent, he wouldn't bother telling her.

* * *

...  
I can't believe I didn't start writing down this story earlier. I just _had _to go and wait 'till _right _before school starts. How ironic.


	4. Leniency

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.  
Thank you very much for all the super-kind and good-hearted and cookie-deserving reviews!!! They are truly appreciated!

* * *

Leniency (edited Oct. 23, 2007)

* * *

Vincent waited in silence for one or more members of Avalanche to show up. He was perfectly calm, knowing there was nothing he could do but wait. If he had been Cloud he would probably have paced back and forth until the others arrived, and if he were Cid he would sit somewhere, cursing. But Vincent was neither, which he was quite satisfied with at the moment. Therefore, he settled with thinking through things. From time to time his red gaze moved to Rin, making sure she was still breathing. Her skin was pale and white, illuminated by the weak light from the windows. Though she was injured she looked so peaceful it bothered him.

Rin looked as though she had a short nap, only she was covered in bandages, and her clothes were still soaked from her blood and the rain. Every time she stirred, Vincent half expected her to sit up and glare at him in confusion, and then ask several questions at the same time. But after every time she moved, she settled quietly afterwards.  
Vincent found himself wondering whether she was dreaming.

Hearing the sound of an engine close by, he glanced through one of the windows. Judging from the sound it was Cid's airship. After some long seconds he saw it appear outside of Nibelheim and observed as it landed carefully in the rain. Cid would most likely scold someone later for dirtying his ship. And if he was lucky he would even get someone to clean it. But that was unlikely: He would probably have to do it himself.

Shortly thereafter Vincent heard steps, signalizing that someone came through the broken door, and he got to his feet and went to meet them.

The group consisted of Cid, the pilot, Yuffie the ninja, and a worried Tifa. Cid looked like as though he had no idea what was going on, and he didn't like it. Yuffie on the other hand, seemed curious. She jumped along, lurking around somewhat before noticing Vincent on the top of the stairs. Cid grunted something upon seeing the large lamp on the floor, but the low sounds turned to curses as he nearly stepped in a small pool of blood. Tifa stared in shock, but rose her head to the stairs.

"Vincent!" she exclaimed as she saw him on top of the stairs. He nodded an almost invisible nod and moved out of sight. The others, having no choice but to follow, ran after him up the stairs and into the room in which Vincent had entered.

-----------------------------------

After some short explanation and more than just a few minutes, Rin's wounds were healed. Vincent had graciously avoided explaining how she got hurt by telling them it was the doing of _a_ fiend, but only Yuffie had whole-heartedly bought that. Tifa and Cid had doubts, but didn't question Vincent any further, which was good enough for him. During the healing session Rin's eyes fluttered open for some seconds, but closed them again and fell asleep. Being in such a weakened state as she was, Tifa insisted that Rin should be brought to the warm airship, as the mansion had turned cold due to absence of doors. Besides, their Restore materia had only healed Rin's wounds, but not reproduced her blood. Therefore, Tifa wanted to keep an eye on her.

Vincent had though of this as a good idea. That is, until Tifa told him to come with them and stay on the airship for a while. That was ridiculous. He had better things to attend to, such as cleaning up after Chaos. If other visitors were to come by, the Shinra Mansion would be considered a place of murder and Vincent himself could risk being stamped as the killer himself. Which was not too far from the truth. Chaos had nearly killed Rin, after all. But even so, Tifa insisted that he should leave the mansion behind for now.

"It's important that you're there when Rin wakes up. She doesn't know us, nor does she know the airship." Tifa claimed.

"She does not know me at all that well either, and she has already met Cid and Yuffie. They can explain everything to her." Vincent said in a cold voice. He didn't want to be near Rin, as Chaos could hurt her again in the future. It was different when he was with Avalanche: They were strong enough to fight back, but Rin wasn't, and nor was any other 'normal' person. Tifa frowned slightly.

"They just said hello and barely mentioned their names to each other, right? Rin has spoken more to you than with any of them." Tifa tried. Vincent eyed an escape.  
"Exactly. She spoke _to _me, not _with _me." he countered, knowing he was not speaking the entire truth. This time, Tifa sent him a determined glare strong enough to make Cloud do laundry for a week without question. Vincent didn't flinch.

"Vincent... You don't have to guard her room, you don't even have to approach it. Just be aboard the ship just _in case _she wakes up and gets shocked to find herself in an unfamiliar place. Okay?" she said, looking into his red eyes for as long as she could muster. He lowered his head so the lower part of his face was hidden behind his red cloak. Then he turned around slowly without a word and walked away, past the exit and farther into the depths of the airship, towards the stairs leading up. From behind him, he heard Tifa sigh in relief.

--------------------------------------

"Vince, I'm tellin' ya, I don't get this at all. What happened to that girl? If a fiend attacked her, why didn't you help her out?" Cid asked, frowning deeply. Vincent turned his head away, ignoring Cid for a moment. For the last five minutes, he had done nothing but ask these kinds of questions. It was getting increasingly annoying.  
"...When you left the mansion the last time you were there, you slammed the doors as you left." Vincent said, sounding bored, yet tense at the same time. Cid on the other hand, seemed utterly delighted that he had finally managed to get some kind of answer out of Vincent.

"And...?" Cid asked, urging Vincent to continue.  
"...The doors locked. I would have broken a window to get out if Rin had not been there. But she was, and breaking a window to get out would most certainly seem rather desperate."  
"Wait, why would you want to break a window to get out?" Cid interrupted, once again getting confused. Vincent turned to look Cid in the eyes, frowning. His red eyes gleamed, which made Cid step back while observing him. Though Vincent knew Cid would tell the others, the event would remain secret in a way. Only the members of Avalanche would know, and they were one of the few he believed he could trust.

"_Chaos._" he stated, hate in his voice, and a look of understanding appeared in Cid's face.

"...I returned to the basement and let him come out. As there are few fiends of interest down there, Chaos must have emerged to the upper floors, looking for a 'worthy' opponent."

Vincent silently decided not to say anything else. Cid seemed to understand what had happened next, and sighed loudly. Vincent held back his growing dislike of these occasional sighs that seemed to pursue him everywhere he went. Tifa and Cid had already sighed almost every time Vincent passed them today, and when he passed Yuffie she copied them, only twice as dramatic. Now that he had told Cid the truth about the 'fiend', the captain would definitely tell the others.

"...It ain't your fault, mate." Cid said, planting his hand on Vincent's shoulder. Vincent walked away, trying to ignore him, and Cid's hand fell down from his shoulder as he left. Cid said nothing to stop him, but quietly returned to doing whatever he had done before their conversation.

-----------------------------------

Rin felt herself slowly wake up, her eyes still shut. Vaguely remembering yellow eyes and pain, she was confused when she no longer could feel her injuries. She was in bed, or so she thought, as she still hadn't opened her eyes. If she did, what would she see? ...Had someone healed her? From what she could tell she, was in a warm bed, dry and soft. Hadn't she been in a pond, watching the rain fall down? _It was a dream...? _As it was the only logical solution, she opened her eyes and tried sitting up. She instantly fell back down, incredibly dizzy. She closed her eyes and tried to think clearly.

She was in an unknown room, in an unknown bed. She was wearing clothes that were not hers, and she was not wounded. Remembering Vincent sitting next to her when she was hurt, she wondered if he had brought her to a hospital. Rin frowned. No, he couldn't have. No hospitals were close enough to the old town. She would have died if he tried moving her too far. Getting increasingly confused, she found herself thinking of Vincent's friends. Perhaps he had contacted them, and then they came to help.

Rin felt a growing headache and took a deep breath. As she did so, she felt a strong smell of warm food nearby. The smell made her eyes open wide and she forced her head to turn. A plate filled with soup, as well as fruits and other food, was on the table next to her bed. Her eyes widened even more as she kept staring at the tempting food.

"Hungry?" a kind voice asked, and Rin moved her gaze over to the only other person in the room, who sat on a chair next to her bed. She had long black hair and pale skin. One of Vincent's friends? Rin heard a loud growling sound and realized it was her stomach.  
"...Uh, I..." she said, embarrassed. The woman just smiled.

"That's okay. You've been asleep since yesterday, so being hungry is only natural. I'm Tifa, by the way." she said, her voice just soft enough not to increase Rin's headache.  
"...Yesterday?" Rin asked, her voice hoarse. Tifa flashed her a smile and nodded once.  
"Mhm. We healed your wounds and brought you here. We're on Cid's airship. Yuffie and I have taken care of you; The warm soup was her idea. She thought it would wake you up." Tifa explained, moving a little closer so Rin could see her without trouble.  
"What about Vincent?" Rin asked. He had helped her, but for all she knew Chaos could have hurt him as well. Tifa looked at her with an uncertain look on her face.

"He's fine. He helped you out." she said, and Rin couldn't help but think she was hiding something.

--------------------------------

"Hey, Vince! Vinnie! Tifa said Rinnie's awake!" Yuffie exclaimed while jumping into the room. Vincent looked up with a look of disinterest on his face.

"...Does that mean I can leave?" he asked, and his voice came out a bit colder than he had aimed for. Yuffie frowned and pointed at him.  
"You should at least say hello and goodbye to her, ya know!" she said hastily.

"Give her my apologies, greetings and goodbyes for me, then." he said, and this time his voice was even colder. Vincent rose to his feet and Yuffie looked at him with a sly face.  
"Okay. I'll give her a hug from you, that's much easier." she said in a cheerful voice and turned to leave, pleased with herself. But to her great chagrin she was prevented from leaving as Vincent blocked her path.

"_I hug no one._" he said in a voice dangerous enough to erase Yuffie's smile and make her step back. She made a strained facial expression as she tried gathering enough guts to speak back to him, and Vincent didn't make it easier by staring her down.

"...Then, go to her yourself! You haven't asked us even once if she's fine!" Yuffie said, blinking several times in an attempt to avoid his glare.  
"I assumed you would notify me if her condition worsened." Vincent stated. While Yuffie was still deciphering his words, Vincent left her.

-----------------------------------

Rin felt utterly useless, just staying in bed at almost all times. She had managed to visit the toilet and even take a short shower, but only with Tifa or Yuffie standing outside the bathroom in case she would suddenly need assistance. She didn't luckily. Cid had visited her once, but Tifa had thrown him out because he had been smoking. Yuffie came by as well, saying Vincent didn't want to hug _anyone._ Why she had said this was beyond Rin. Vincent was nowhere to be seen. This made Rin wonder whether he looked upon her as a bother, and pondered apologizing to him once he came by. She also decided to thank him for helping her.

She had been in bed for two days, and now she couldn't sleep at all, having already rested for such a long time. Last night, she fell asleep so late Yuffie woke her up and said good morning just half an hour later. Right now it was quite late, and the others were most likely sleeping. She couldn't hear a sound at all. Cid had landed the airship somewhere and turned off the engines, and Rin could hear her breath and heartbeat so clearly she thought the sound would wake up the others.

Even so, she couldn't stay still. She moved her feet off the bed and carefully put them on the floor. Her bag was in the corner of the room; The others had probably brought it here. She rose to her feet and waited until her dizziness faded before making her way to the door as quietly as she could manage. Once there she opened it and looked to both sides, and randomly chose to go to her right. After she closed the door behind her, she headed down the hall. Eventually she reached some stairs leading up. Knowing she would get dizzy if she moved up too fast, she took one step at a time. Taking a short break on each step put her non-existent patience to a test, and when she finally got up her face carried a deep frown.

Rin moved ahead and opened the biggest door she could see. She hoped it would lead outside and not into a bedroom. Her luck had failed before, but this time it did not.

After carefully closing the big door, she continued forward slowly. The weak wind made her long-sleeved nightdress billow around her. Upon reaching the railing she bent down to stand on her knees. She crossed her arms and put them on the railing, and then rested her head on top.

The view was nothing less than beautiful. The airship was positioned on the top of a mountain range or hill of some sort, with dew-covered trees and dark green plants everywhere. In the distance she saw many small waterfalls coming down the sides of the mountains. Far away she saw the ocean, and on it the reflection of the moon. She rose her head and saw the bright moon faintly illuminating everything within its reach. She had always liked the moon better than the sun. Not only could she see the sun almost every day as long as there were no clouds, but it was also too hard to look straight at it. The moon on the other hand, could rarely be seen that often. Clouds often shielded it from view, and Rin was rarely outside during the night, so she rarely saw it at all. If she saw it, it was usually a crescent moon.

In other words, seeing the full moon like this, towering above such fair scenery, was mesmerizing. Never before had she seen anything as beautiful as what she was watching now. She wanted to be there forever, drinking the beauty of the landscape, to freeze time.

The ones back _"_home_"_ would surely have liked this. She vaguely wondered if they would have appreciated the view as much as she did. Rin felt tears appear in her eyes, and she flashed a sad smile to no one in particular. Her heart seemed to stop for seconds, starting to hurt.

Something red caught her attention next to the billowing arm of her nightdress, and she turned her head upward to see Vincent. Her eyes widened as she watched him. Rin got up from her knees and to her feet. He did not acknowledge her presence, he just gazed at the scenery as Rin had done before he arrived. She watched his raven black hair move in the wind and his ragged red cloak swim in the breeze. His pale skin held the color of pearls, but looked softer than desert sand. Vincent's eyes bathed in light borrowed from the white moon, and his red orbs reminded of frozen flames in a black sea.

Rin stared. Why had she found him so intimidating before? He was beautiful. Vincent moved his gaze to her, and she remembered why. He was beautiful, yes, but when he looked straight at her, he looked different. In an undefined way he seemed distant, angry, as if he was avoiding something. Rin would never know what, nor why.

Noticing she was still staring at him, she turned back to watch the scenery.

"...Thank you." she whispered, and she couldn't help but feel that the sound of her whispering ruined the moment somewhat. Vincent said nothing in return.  
"You saved me." she continued, still whispering. He still didn't respond, and Rin turned to look at him again. She had never been good at looking into peoples' eyes, but forced herself to hold his red gaze.

"I'm sorry."  
"I apologize."

They said at the same time, but Rin finished first. A short, yet awkward silence ensued.  
"What are you apologizing for? You saved me." Rin said, again moving her eyes away from his, smiling sheepishly. This time the silence lasted longer, and in the corner of her eye she saw him shifting. It was as if he was about to say something, but he delayed his words for as long as he could before yielding to it.

"...Chaos resides inside me, and at times he breaks out." Vincent stated, and Rin turned to him. Eyes wide, she stared at him. What? He knew the name of Chaos, that fiend...  
And Chaos... lived inside him? Rin didn't understand, and knitted her eyebrows. If what he said was true, why had all those things happened? Could Vincent by any chance control Chaos?

"I cannot control him." he said, as if he had read her mind. Rin's thoughts seemed to fly back and forth in her head as she tried to understand.  
So when the doors had locked in the mansion, perhaps he considered breaking out... Rin lowered her head while thinking. Breaking out could have seemed rather desperate, so he went into the basement instead. Was that it? And once Vincent was there Chaos must have emerged, but made his way to the upper floors. Rin closed her eyes. If that was what happened, it wasn't Vincent's fault. Chaos was the one to be blamed.

"...It wasn't you fault." she said quietly, not whispering any longer. Even as she rose to look into his flaming eyes, Vincent said nothing.  
"Chaos hurt me, but you saved me." she said, and tried to keep looking into his orbs.  
"So... thank you. You saved my life." Rin concluded and flashed him a small smile, clutching the railing with her hands. Vincent still refused to say a word, just watched her, as if considering her words and analyzing their meaning.  
"...And I'm sorry. Chaos said you escaped, and I believed him. For a moment, I thought you left me..." she whispered, ashamed, not trusting her voice. As Vincent did not answer, Rin couldn't help but feel like as if she was speaking to a wall.

"I spat in Chaos's eye, too. Sorry." she added awkwardly. At this, Vincent moved his chin down, hiding his mouth behind his cloak. His eyes moved slightly, and Rin got a feeling that he was laughing soundlessly at her. Rin tried swallowing the lump in her throat. She was tempted to laugh as well, but didn't really know if he really _did _find it amusing.

"...Don't be." he said, and Rin relaxed as she heard his deep voice, allowing herself to smile a little. Her shoulders slumped a little as she calmed down.

"Okay... Um...Friends?" she said, looking at him with question in her face. He rewarded her with an expressionless look and a barely visible rise of an eyebrow.  
"Uh... _Companions, _then?" she asked in a sheepish way, hoping a more complicated word would sound better for him. After some long seconds he gave a short affirmative nod directed at her, and then turned to watch the scenery again. Inwardly grinning so widely her mind had no room for anything else, Rin continued watching the scenery with him.

-----------------------------------

Rin spitting in Chaos's eye... Vincent could barely believe it, much less imagine it. When she admitted it, Vincent had been unable to hold back his smirk, and hid it behind his cloak. She had noticed, though. Or so he thought.

Upon seeing her up here all alone, he had originally thought of telling her to go to bed and get some rest. But after seeing how she seemed to swallow the entire view, he knew she wouldn't do as he said. Her nightdress billowed around her in the night breeze, as did her long brown hair. Before he had revealed his presence for her, when her eyes had teared up, he realized her eyes were not hazel, as he had thought they were.  
Her eyes were green, with brown cores, and trapped the light better than any of the dew-covered plants below them. Their beauty conquer that of the scenery.

But he had yet to find the reason of the tears in her eyes. What could possibly have saddened her enough to make her flash such a haunting smile?

* * *

...  
Reviews will be loved, taken care of, and given cookies and milk.  
Constructive criticism will be accepted with open arms.  
Flames will be watered. (Meaning I will laugh at them. Very loudly.) 


	5. Assumptions

Disclaimer: Hey, guess what. I don't own Final Fantasy. What a _surprise.  
_In this chapter Rin reveals why she was in Nibelheim in the first place... I tried using a bit more descriptions, too. Thanks a lot to you, Sych77! -hugs-

* * *

(edited Oct. 29, 2007) Assumptions

* * *

Vincent observed Rin. She was clutching the black railing of the airship, moving restlessly. With a quick movement she moved a hand to her eyes and wiped away the tears that had already dried. He turned away to watch the scenery. How could anyone have tears in their eyes when being close to something as beautiful as this? He frowned slightly. It could be tears of amazement, but Rin's smile had been sad enough for him to doubt that. Asking her was an option, but not directly. Perhaps she had been reminded of something. An old memory, long forgotten?

Then she had escaped...And made her way to Nibelheim, of all places. A small, abandoned town, completely surrounded by ocean, mountains and rivers.

"...Why did you come to Nibelheim." he asked, turning to her again, but his question sounded more like a demand. Rin turned her head, eyes wide.  
She looked down at her bare feet.

"Uh... I suppose I just wanted to travel a bit..." she said, doubt clear in her voice. As Vincent did not respond, she glanced up to him. Her face was livid in the faint light, and her eyes fluttered around, stopping everywhere except for his eyes. Moving his gaze from her face, he noticed she was clutching the railing tighter than ever.

Was she hiding something?

--------------------------------

As Rin felt her knees slowly weaken under her, she let go of the railing and walked backwards. She stopped while watching Vincent carefully, and found he hadn't moved an inch at all. But he was watching her. If she would have dared to look into his eyes, she was sure she would find suspicion in his red orbs. Therefore, she avoided his gaze. If she didn't get out of here soon, she could risk fainting. Feeling increasingly light-headed, she cleared her voice.

"I'm... I think I'll go get some sleep." she said, her voice stiff, and swayed slightly. She turned around in a manner that probably made it look like as if she was drunk, and waved a hand awkwardly.

"...I promise I'm not drunk." she mumbled, mostly to herself in order to keep her head somewhat clear.

She opened the heavy door and walked inside, and then closed it behind her. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to find the stairs. The hall was much darker than she remembered, probably because of the moonlight outside. Rin tried getting used to the darkness and walked forward.

The floor was cold and felt like ice under her feet. Walking along the wall, letting her hands slide along it, she found the stairs. They seemed to continue into a hole of darkness. Rin slowly descended them in the dark, frowning in irritation at her low speed. But she sped up as her eyes gradually got used to the darkness again. Rin got into her room and closed the door. There she sighed deeply.

She had asked him if they could be friends, or _comrades, _and he complied. But then he asked her why she came there, to Nibelheim. Rin frowned. She would tell him, that was for sure. But not now; It was already to late. Besides, she wouldn't have lasted for too long either. She didn't really want to faint halfway through her story. While thinking of this, Rin walked over to her bed and hid under the soft, burly blanket. She let her head rest on the big pillow and pulled her legs up, covering herself almost completely with her blanket

-----------------------------------

The next day Rin sat in the common room, listening to Yuffie. Yuffie told her about their journey to defeat Sephiroth and how they saved the Planet. Of some reason she also told Rin about every single materia they had brought along. It was interesting in its own special way, but all her talking about materia made her forget about the other details of the story, which were probably also important.

"So... You're famous?" Rin asked, genuinely interested. Yuffie looked at her, eyes wide in astonishment.

"You _don't know_?" she asked, bending forward, her eyes narrowed. Rin suddenly felt stupid, and averted her eyes to the sofa in which Yuffie sat. It was old, but in perfect shape.  
Its red color had faded somewhat, though.  
"Where on the _Planet_ have you been, exactly?" Yuffie asked, and when Rin looked around, she noticed Tifa and was paying attention as well. She and Cid sat on the other side of the room, by the kitchen desk, on some tall bar stools. Tifa looked at her in curiosity, but Cid was too absorbed in the newspaper he was reading.

She still wouldn't get out of this easily.  
"...I've been in the Midgar area. That is, until I started my own big 'adventure'." Rin stated. _There. That ought to do it._ Yuffie tilted her head.

"But why did you start traveling, then?" Yuffie asked, sitting on the edge of the old sofa. At this question, Cid picked up his newspaper and carefully retreated out a door, and Tifa cleared her voice.

"Yuffie, I don't think Rin wants to-"  
"That's okay. I owe you. After all, you saved my life." Rin said, sounding a little sheepish. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and her gaze landed upon her empty breakfast plate sitting on the wooden table. She could tell them. Afterwards, she could tell Vincent. That way she could 'practice' first.

"...Well... In Midgar I used to live with my family. We weren't too rich, living in the slums and all... One day some people from Shinra came by and offered money to everyone who wanted to take part in some 'small experiments'. At the time being, I knew our family wouldn't make it through if we didn't get money, so I came with them." Rin said. Her voice was so quiet that she was uncertain whether or not Tifa or Yuffie could hear her at all. Despite not knowing, she continued.

"They did various experiments on me, most of them small, bu others a little larger. But I think they all failed in the end, because they threw me out. By then, they had kept me there for so long I had almost lost track of time... I _did _get some money, though. I went back home and told the others I'd been working for Shinra, and that I'd earned some money there. But as they found out where I'd been, they just told me to leave. Going to Shinra was a foolish thing to do. I knew they wouldn't like it, much less accept it." Rin said, a pained expression on her face. Tifa left her bar stool and came over, and then sat down next to Yuffie in the red sofa, looking at Rin with a worried expression.

"How could they just throw you out like that?" Yuffie asked, annoyed. Rin flashed her a smile, half sad, half sheepish. Then she shrugged her shoulders slightly, once again moving her green gaze to her empty plate. There were some crumbs on it from her breakfast, and she focused on them while speaking.

"...Many of our relatives and friends got ill or died when they came in touch with Shinra, or never returned. For me to even _consider_ coming with them willingly was a stupid mistake. The ones back home didn't even want the money I earned for them."

-----------------------------------

Vincent entered the room unnoticed, and realized the three women aboard had a conversation. Or rather, Rin spoke to the two others. He approached them slowly, ready to leave if their topic was too... _womanly._ Rin spoke.

"...So I used the money I earned from Shinra's research department to buy some items and a sword, as well as an Ice materia." she revealed. Vincent's eyes narrowed. Rin had worked for _Shinra_?

"It always feels like I'm in other people's way, so I started traveling. Shinra obviously didn't want me back, -" She wanted to go _back _to Shinra? "So I left Midgar." Rin said, her head lowered. Vincent couldn't see her face, but her voice was low and muffled.

He felt something move violently inside him. Rin had worked for Shinra. If she would have seen his face right now, she would without a doubt be terrified. His stare settled on Rin, cold in disappointment. She had contributed to Shinra's experiments of her own free will, helped them, _assisted_ them. A picture of the laughing Hojo appeared in his mind, and he imagined Rin sitting in the background, her face lethargic and indifferent. Vincent remembered the skeletons he had found when he woke up from his long slumber in the basement of the Shinra mansion. Shinra's ways of achieving their goals were nothing but bad. They needed to see that.

Vincent turned around and left in one swift movement, without a sound.

He had heard enough.

---------------------------------------------

Rin felt as though something was wrong, and looked up. Nothing was behind Tifa and Yuffie except for the small, empty kitchen and a closed door. She hesitated slightly before continuing.

"...But I didn't _want _to go back either, so I went from town to town, but everywhere I went I saw people from Shinra. They kept reminding me of what happened in Midgar, so I continued traveling. Cosmo Canyon seemed nice in the beginning, so I stayed there for some weeks. But after a while tourists came, bringing news and rumors of Shinra along with them. So I continued until I reached a river." Rin said, spacing out as she tried remembering. She shifted on her wooden chair.

"How did you cross it without a proper boat?" Tifa asked. Rin flashed her a lopsided smile, genuine this time.

"On my journey I once came across some Shinra workers, and stole their materia..." Rin started, and Yuffie laughed out loud, "And one of the materias I stole just happened to be a summon materia. I used it and made it give me a ride over the river. But it drained a lot of energy, so when I arrived in Nibelheim I was exhausted. I tried opening doors, but all of the houses were locked. But the mansion wasn't." Rin said, and by now Tifa and Yuffie were quite absorbed in her story. Yuffie hadn't really been too interested in her story before the mentioning of materias, though, but now even she paid attention.

"Upon realizing the mansion was unlocked, I decided to do some renovating to make myself useful. After some days the house was cleaned and I met Vincent. Then, Chaos attacked-"  
"Wait, how do you know it was Chaos?" Yuffie interrupted, and Rin blinked.  
"...It told me its name, and then Vincent told me about him later..." Rin answered, frowning when she thought of the fact that Chaos lived inside Vincent. She knew it was true, yet it was very hard to imagine. She wondered if it had something to do with Shinra. That wouldn't surprise her. If that was the case, he was most likely not too fond of that company.

"But why didn't you use the summon materia to defeat Chaos? Then he'd turn back to Vincent, wouldn't he?" Yuffie asked.  
"Um, well... Actually, I was already very tired from all the cleaning... I didn't have enough energy, I guess..." Rin said, slightly embarrassed.  
"Besides," Tifa said, "if Rin would have used the summon materia, _Vincent _would be the one ending up hurt."  
Rin's eyes widened. All of a sudden she felt relieved that _she _had been hurt, and not Vincent.

"...And afterwards you ended up here." Tifa concluded, and Rin nodded. Now that she had told them her story she felt relieved, but also worried of some reason. She reached out and grabbed her plate, heading to the small kitchen area. Tifa followed her.

"I think I'm going to go back to 7th Heaven and Marlene today, in Midgar. Barret can't be left alone for too long there. Marlene's his daughter, so she'll be fine, but I'm worried about the bar..." she said.

"Oh... Good luck. I'm sure everything will be okay when you return." Rin said, sounding strangely calm. Inside, however, something still felt wrong.

--------------------------------------

In the afternoon the airship arrived outside of Midgar, and Tifa got off. Yuffie was getting increasingly disturbed from her motion sickness and had gone to her room. Vincent and Cid were alone in the control room, and Cid once again brought the airship up in the air, heading south west.

"Why are we heading south west?" Vincent asked, already knowing the answer. Cid grinned.  
"Well, since Rin's better, I thought ya' wanted to go back to the mansion." he said. Vincent didn't respond, he just turned away, thinking.  
"Somethin' wrong?" Cid asked, not really interested.

"...Rin. She worked for Shinra. In the research department." Vincent said, barely audible. He turned, and Cid scratched his beard.

"Eh? Really?" he said, obviously not paying attention. He was too busy turning switches and steering.  
"Cloud did too, right?" he added. Vincent frowned.  
"Cloud wanted to join Soldier, but was used in Mako experiments instead. By force. Rin worked there _willingly._" Vincent explained, but Cid still didn't get it.

"...I heard her say Shinra didn't want her back. That could mean she got fired, but tried getting back in without succeeding." Vincent speculated in a low voice, still calm. He suddenly realized he had not spoken this much for a long time. Cid was the only one capable of having a somewhat normal conversation with him without freaking out or carefully trying to escape. A look of comprehension grew upon Cid's face.

"_What? _She wanted to go _back? _To _Shinra?_" he asked.  
"...I'm saying there is a possibility she _did _want to go back, yes." Vincent responded. Cid's usual nonchalant and determined expression changed into a darker one.  
"...Wow. Do Tifa and Yuffie know?" Cid asked, and Vincent merely nodded.

A sound coming from Cid's cell phone broke the silence, and Cid answered it.

"What?" he demanded, speaking to the phone. Many nods and 'yeahs' later, he closed the open phone. Vincent doubted whoever Cid spoke with could see Cid nodding, but then again he had very little experience with the new, up-to-date products. He had found his own phone, though, and was satisfied with that fact alone. He would not leave it again.

"...Cloud needs us to bring him up north, to the crater. Says he needs ta' train. The weak fiends down around Midgar are too damn weak." Cid said, and slowly started turning the airship. Somewhere in the ship a complaining yell was heard, Yuffie obviously being the source.

"Sorry, Vince, you gotta wait. I'll bring you to Nibelheim later." Cid said, ignoring Yuffie as he brought the ship back down to pick up Cloud. Vincent gave a short nod and left the control room without saying anything else, leaving Cid alone with all the buttons and switches that needed operating. Cid didn't mind, that was just how he liked to do things. And to feel better, he lit a cigar and put it into his mouth, letting it tilt slightly as he landed the airship.

-----------------------------

After Cloud was aboard, the airship headed north. The ship was quite noisy by now, because Yuffie was having a heated quarrel with Cid. Vincent was nowhere to be seen, and Cloud just wandered around. Rin just happened to do the same, and upon seeing each other in one of the wider halls, both were surprised. Rin could tell from the change in his stance that he was ready to bring forth the huge sword on his back, so she tried standing completely still in a silent attempt to tell him she was not an enemy.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. Rin could barely look into them; They were so incredibly blue.

"Who are you?" he asked, his clear and shiny mako eyes fixed on her green ones. Rin couldn't look into them any more, so she averted her own eyes to the door on her right. It was remarkably _normal._

"I-I'm Rin. I'm here because I got hurt, and your friends helped me... Didn't they tell you?" she said, settling for a short explanation in stead of a long, detailed one.  
"No." he said, slowly moving back to a normal stance. He was frowning.  
"Anyway... I'll be leaving really soon! I already have my bag and materias, but I need to get my sword. And then... I'll leave." Rin said, surprised at her own words.

_Where_ would she go? She had been to most of the larger towns. Wasn't there some towns up north? ...Bone Village and Icicle Inn, was it? Or the one in the east, where Yuffie said she was from... Wutai? All of them sounded good to her, but she would most likely reconsider going to any of said towns if there were people from Shinra there. Rin's thoughts stopped as Cloud walked towards her, and she froze. He walked straight past her, though, and out of sight. Why hadn't the others said she was here?

She felt gravity change, and knew the airship was on its way down to the ground again. Yuffie had told her that they were going to the Northern Crater. Were they there already?

After some long minutes, the furious Yuffie left the ship. She'd apparently gotten enough of her motion sickness, and had decided to get off the airship. They were currently on the north continent, but had not yet reached the snow, so Yuffie said she would _'borrow'_ a boat in Bone Village to get back down south. Cid obviously couldn't have cared less. By now, Rin was rather troubled. Without Tifa around things seemed to only get worse. So when they finally arrived at a place close enough to the crater, Cid landed the airship and Rin brought her bag and headed for the exit.

Knowing it would be cold outside, she searched through her bag for a proper jacket. At the time she only had a rather thin black coat, but it had to do. Rin opened the door and a freezing wind brushed her face, forcing her to close her eyes for some seconds. She jumped down and landed in the deep, cold snow. Finding a proper place to drink the warm chocolate she had brought along, Rin decided to try relaxing as much as possible before going on board again. The suspense in there was unbearable.

Therefore, it was actually quite enjoyable outside. Rin found she liked sitting there like that, by the airship, watching the milky white snow. She held her hands around the cup of chocolate and watched the snow shining in the sun. The wind made her cheeks and nose cold, but other than that she liked being there.

"So... Where'd ya get that coat?" Cid asked, and Rin turned in surprise. She hadn't heard him coming. But upon hearing his question, she couldn't help but thinking he sounded troubled.  
"In Midgar. Why?" Rin said, smiling slightly. Her smile seemed to trouble Cid further.  
"...It's just that it looks a bit like one of those coats the Shinra workers wear. The _scientists._ Only yours is black and not white." he said, voice stiff. Rin snorted.

"Well, if it'd be _white_ I'd get every single opponent of Shinra on my back, and believe me, my back has had enough." Rin said and flashed him a small lopsided grin, and she could tell Cid didn't understand what she meant. He sighed loudly, and as he breathed out, a cloud of smoke or steam came out of his nose. Probably a mix of cigar smoke and warm breath in cold weather. Rin put down her cup and grabbed some snow with her hands. It was cold. Not that she expected otherwise. She brought her hands to her face and blew the snow off. Hearing something, she turned to see Cloud. He walked off, away from the airship, in the direction of the crater.

"He's gonna train." Cid explained, and in the same moment a fiend appeared in front of Cloud. He grabbed his sword and swung it towards the fiend, slashing it once. It was an instant kill. Cloud then continued walking, unaffected, probably searching for a stronger fiend. Rin watched in awe.

"...Wow. I wish _I_ were that strong." she mumbled. Irony made her remember the time she fell down the stairs and landed on her own sword.  
Rin sighed, and her warm breath formed a small cloud in front of her.

"We'll be leavin' once Bedhead comes back." Cid informed, and Rin nodded. Did they usually call Cloud that? Bed-head?  
Cid turned around and made his way through the snow, his cigar still in safe between his lips, heading back into the airship.

* * *

... 

I _think _this chapter was _slightly _longer than the others. I hope you enjoyed it. What part did you like the most?


	6. Negations

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is not owned by me.  
I don't know whether or not Vincent's gun has ammo or runs on mako or energy or something, but in this story it has ammo. Yup.

Oh, and there will be a bit more humor in this chapter, but also some more serious stuff.

* * *

Negations (edited Nov. 4. 2007)

* * *

It was so quiet outside that Rin closed her eyes and just listened. The only thing she heard was the wind, but other than that, there was no sound. Never before had she witnessed anything this quiet. Midgar had always been noisy, and on her journey there had always been _something _that broke the silence. In other words, this was quite enjoyable. And the heavy atmosphere aboard the ship was practically non-existent out here.

Rin allowed a weak smile to enter her face and sighed contently.

"I strongly recommend that you pay more attention to your surroundings." a dark voice said, and Rin opened her eyes. By her side was Vincent. He didn't watch her, but carefully observed the landscape. Rin blinked as she watched him.

She sat in the snow, and he was standing next to her. His blood-red cape danced around his tall form, its strong color clear against the snow. The raven black hair flowing down his back and around his shoulders were in complete contrast with the white surroundings. Vincent's pale skin was nearly as white as the snow, yet not as dead as it, but rather very much alive. His red orbs seemed so much darker than she remembered, and Rin found herself wondering whether it was because of the light landscape.

"...The _surroundings. _I strongly recommend that you pay more attention to your _surroundings._" he repeated, and Rin blushed and turned away.  
"Sorry..." she mumbled, hugging herself, as her coat was not thick enough to hold her warm.  
Then she remembered she should probably tell him why she had been in the mansion. It would feel good to just get it over with. Rin shifted a little and cleared her voice.

"...Listen... I should probably let you know how I ended up in Nibelheim..." she said, barely audible.  
"There is no need." he said in his deep voice.  
_No need? _Rin had to admit she was quite relieved to hear that. But then again, _why_ was there no need to tell him? Had Tifa or Yuffie already told him? ...Probably. Rin shifted again in the deep snow.  
" ...Did anyone tell you?" she asked, her voice uncertain. Vincent didn't answer, and a long silence ensued.

Rin cleared her voice again, but found she had nothing else to say. Thus, the silence continued for some long moments. When she could no longer stand the lack of sound, despite having wanted it before, she got to her feet and was about to go back into the airship. The heavy atmosphere from before had returned, and she wanted to make it disappear. Perhaps if she just stayed away from Vincent, it would disappear. She was sure he wasn't the source of the atmosphere, but it would feel better to leave than to stay there in complete and utter silence.

"You worked for Shinra." Vincent said, his voice was even darker than usual. Rin stopped.  
"Willingly." he added. Rin felt her eyes widen. _So he _does_ know._ She looked down.  
"...Uh, yeah... Kind of..." she said.

When Vincent did not respond, she looked up again, and stopped breathing. He had yet to move, but his eyes were now focused on _her._ His face remained motionless, yet it seemed so cold and livid Rin stepped backwards. What had she done to make him look at her like that?

"Back in Nibelheim... You lied." he said, his mouth hidden behind his cloak. As he said those words, the wind seemed to increase in strength and Rin immediately felt much colder.  
"No!" she denied. She had said she didn't work for Shinra at that time, which was true. But she _had_ worked for Shinra in _the past._ But not any more, and never again.

"I once did, but I was thrown out!" she said, panicking. Why did he say that?  
"Exactly. You made Shinra throw you out. Were you not as skilled as they thought you would be?" Vincent asked, a frown coming upon his face. Rin stared at him with wide eyes. Back in Shinra, she _didn't need _to be skilled. She had just been an experiment. That was all. Rin felt her mouth move, but no words came out. Did Vincent think she had been a scientist or something? But if he had heard the story from Tifa or Yuffie, why didn't he understand?

"...I-I worked there because of the money-" she said, and she realized too late how that sounded. _Smooth. _Now he would definitely get the wrong idea. She made herself sound like some greedy scientist whose only interest is money. _Really _smooth._ Not. _For some some long seconds Rin considered grabbing her bag and escaping. That town, Icicle Inn, wasn't too far away, right? Or perhaps she could go south, into that old forest...

"The minds of most of the people working willingly for Shinra can rarely be completely healed. Most of them, though not all, remain corrupt and incorrigible." Vincent said. What he said reminded Rin of an old scientist she had once seen in on of the Shinra labs. What was his name? Hoho? Hobo...? Hojo? Yes, Hojo. He was one of the most frightening scientists she had seen there, if not _the _most frightening one. Was Vincent saying Rin was like _Hojo? _The unfamiliar feeling of rage started filling her, and she clenched her fists and frowned.

"I am perfectly sane, thank you very much, and I had a _completely_ acceptable reason to join Shinra." she said in a low voice, but it was nothing compared to that of Vincent. It made her feel awkward and she made a displeased grimace.  
"...And that reason was money?" he said in his darker voice, taunting her.

"The money was for my _family_! Unfortunately for _me_, they didn't want me back, nor the money I earned for them! Just because I earned it from Shinra! Then my they threw me out, and I was smart enough to get out of Midgar before I lost my mind at some bar in which most people usually drink themselves half to death!" Rin shouted, furious. How could Vincent blame her for willingly going to Shinra if she did it for someone else than herself?

At this, Vincent said nothing. His face remained expressionless, and the only things moving were his cloak and his hair. The cloak hid his lower face. For a second, Rin thought she had seen his eyes widen slightly, but doubted it. She bent down and grabbed her bag, still containing a thermos flask of warm chocolate, and ran off. As she did not enter the ship, but rather continued past it, she turned her head while running.

"And for your information, I was an _experiment, _not a scientist!" she yelled, and kept running, her black coat billowing around her. The snow slowed her down quite a bit, but didn't stop her. At least she was getting somewhere. Upon hearing someone, she glanced over her shoulder to see Cid coming out of the airship.  
"Hey! Hey, where do ya think you're going! The fiends will kill you in one strike if ya go out there!" he yelled, but Rin continued making her way through the heavy snow.

"I'm _going_ for a _walk!_" she snarled. Cloud wouldn't be back in hours, so she had plenty of time.

That is, if she wanted to go back to the airship at all. She didn't need her sword back in Nibelheim, Vincent could keep it if he wanted it. He could chop wood with it for all she cared. Rin, on the other hand, could make her way to Icicle Inn or through the Sleeping Forest if she wanted to. In the first town she found, she could buy a new weapon, preferably one she couldn't damage herself with. Did a weapon like that exist?

In the beginning of her 'walk' Rin half expected someone to follow her, but as she continued through the freezing landscapes, no one came. The icy air stung her lungs when she breathed. When she could no longer run, she walked. She wondered vaguely why she hadn't seen even one fiend yet. Though the wind was still cold, the snow had yet to fall.  
After a while she could no longer even walk, and dragged her feet along in a sloppy fashion. A couple of times Rin could have sworn she heard some shooting sounds, but ignored it as she believed it was merely imagination. The cold was obviously getting to her.

Upon finding a single dead tree in the endless landscape consisting of snow and ice, she sat down under it. It was still not snowing, so she would find her way back to the airship easily by following her own tracks. But only if she wanted to, of course.

If fiends would attack her she would escape. That was her plan this far. But for now, she would just have some hot chocolate. Rin smiled weakly as she enjoyed some of it, carefully saving some for later as well. Running away hadn't been the smartest thing she had done, and she felt a little childish. But if she had gone to her room and slammed the door, that would be too... _teenagerish. _Being childish was definitely better than being teenagerish. At least in her opinion.

Now getting increasingly cold, Rin rummaged through her bag for something to keep her warm. To her utter delight she found some old, ragged gloves that her mother had once knitted for her. They were a little small, but that didn't matter. She also found a white hat she had been given in Cosmo Canyon. One of the persons she had met there had gotten it for her birthday, but hadn't needed it.

Satisfied, Rin got to her feet with a grin on her face. It was, indeed, a strange thing to be grinning to no one in particular in the middle of nowhere. She was happy Vincent wasn't there to see it. He would probably say something about 'sunstroke' or perhaps even 'snowstroke' in a low voice, making her feel completely stupid. Rin bent down and grabbed her bag and turned forward again.

And froze. Not literally, but still... In front of her was none other than Vincent. Her grin faded so rapidly that she must have looked like as if she had just died, only she was still standing. Rin tried swallowing the lump that grew in her throat.

Vincent did not look happy. And when Vincent did not look happy, the ones around him had a very good reason to be at least a little bit frightened.

"...Hi." Rin said, and her strained voice didn't sound like her own. She felt bad for grinning like she had, remembering how she had screamed at Cid and Vincent earlier. Rin cleared her voice. Afraid he would just stay silent like before, she cleared her voice in an attempt to gather her courage.

"...Sorforscreamng." she mumbled, but Vincent didn't say anything.  
"Sorry-for-screaming." she said, hoping he heard her this time. But he still didn't say a word, which strongly annoyed Rin. He had _obviously _heard her, but chose to ignore her words. He could at least give her a small nod as a sign he had heard her.  
"...I am _extremely_ sorry for causing you _discomfort_ by raising my voice to _unacceptable_ heights in your presence, _Sir._" she said sarcastically, frowning at him.

Vincent eyebrows seemed to rise slightly at this. Rin couldn't remember seeing him doing that before, and narrowed her eyes. As she did, she also noticed something else. Snow had started falling. She glanced up, and after only seconds, the snowflakes were falling in such an amount that she got a vague feeling of having very little time, considering her tracks would soon be covered.

She ran past Vincent, running in her own tracks from before. Upon realizing Vincent did not follow her, she turned impatiently.  
"Vincent! If we don't go back to the airship now, the snow will cover our tracks completely!" she exclaimed, but Vincent still didn't budge.

"...It is of no use. The tracks will be covered too fast for us to make it back in time." Vincent said, his dark voice clear in the silence.  
Rin felt awkward, just standing there like some lost child. After all, it was _her _fault they were both stuck here right now. But then again, who had asked Vincent to follow her?  
He didn't have to. She could make it on her own. At least that was what she thought. Nonetheless, it was _her _fault they were here, so it was up to her to come up with some sort of solution to their problem.

"Well," Rin announced in a somewhat careless voice, "Let's go south, then. Away from this... snowy place." she finished, and walked back past Vincent and past the tree.

As Vincent once again didn't answer, Rin turned around and noticed he looked rather... tired. If that was the right way to describe him. His head was bent just slightly forward and the clouds in front of him suggested that he was breathing heavily. He wasn't watching her, but rather a random spot of snow next to him.

"...You okay? Did anything... happen?" Rin asked, her voice quiet. Vincent's gaze caught her worried eyes.  
"Do you realize there are many fiends here that could easily have killed you in less than three seconds?" he asked. Rin blinked, then frowned, crossing her arms.  
"Of course. But I'm very good at escaping said fiends. Besides, I haven't even met _one _fiend up here." she said in a matter-of-fact tone. It was rather strange, though.  
She hadn't even _seen _a fiend yet.

"Where do you think all the fiends have gone to, then?" Vincent asked. As Rin didn't answer, he sighed silently, closing his eyes for a short moment. He then moved a hand inside his cloak and brought out his triple-barrel gun.

"_Why _do you think _this _has no ammunition left." he demanded in a dark voice. What? His gun had no ammo left? Did he use all of it?_ ...On what?_  
Her confused expression slowly changed into one of understanding as she remembered the shooting sounds she had heard earlier. She suddenly felt sick. She had been _very _stupid.

He had used all the ammo on fiends that followed her. Fiends she hadn't noticed, and that would most certainly have killed her had he not taken them down. _Blunder._ She now owed him a thanks _and _a sorry. But he owed her an explanation as well. He didn't have to follow her. Or did he? Was she _that _weak? Feeling increasingly awkward and bad, she turned and slowly walked away from Vincent, the tree and her tracks. The snow kept falling around her, casting a weak shadow over everything. The snow no longer looked white at all, but rather blue. That made everything seem even colder.

After walking for almost half a minute, she came to very sudden stop, eyes wide in surprise. Right in front of her was a deep, dark crevice. It seemed as though it was waiting for innocent souls to just fall into it, hungry for unlucky people or fiends. In a frightening way it was breathtaking.  
Hearing slow steps come from behind her, she turned to see Vincent. He stopped right next to her, and watched the sinister crevice with interest. It was too wide to jump across, too steep to climb, and so deep they couldn't see the bottom.

"...Perhaps we could find a way around... Or go back..." Rin mumbled, barely audible. She stared down into the darkness, thinking she could see something blue down there. Mako? That would remain a mystery, because she had no intentions of going down to check. None at all. Then she remembered something.

"Of course! Vincent, do you have a phone, by any chance?" Rin asked, and turned to Vincent with gleaming eyes. He barely nodded. Rin grinned, muttering 'yes' under her breath.

"...I do. But due to the snow, there is no signal. Even if we would be able to call Cid, he would never find us in this weather." he said. Rin's head dropped and her smile faded. All of a sudden the landscape didn't look so beautiful any longer. Her eyes narrowed in displease.

"If we don't_ freeze_ to death, the fiends will kill us. If the fiends don't kill us, we'll die by falling into one of those crevices. If we don't do _that, _we'll die by starvation. And if we don't starve, _I_ will die of boredom, and only _you_ will survive." Rin said, sitting down in the snow, facing the crevice.

Vincent looked as though he was about to say something in response, but stopped, suddenly alert. He turned his head around slowly. The snowy landscape was still blue, and it was still snowing. There were no fiends around either, at least none that Rin could see. She got to her feet slowly, holding on to her bag.  
If it was a fiend, she was the only one who had materia.

And then she heard it; A crack. A weak sound of something breaking. It was a small, high-pitched sound, but then she heard another one, which sounded deeper. And then a third.

"Below!" Vincent said, and Rin looked down into the snow, knowing that there was nothing else she could do at the moment. There was obviously nothing interesting about the snow, though, so she looked up again, frustrated. Another crack was heard, and this one lasted for many long seconds. It started on their left, but then it continued to their right, in a half circle around them. And then the ground beneath them started lowering.

"Oh no." Vincent said. Those two words were the last clear things she heard, because after that, they slid downwards so fast they had no chance of escaping.  
Everything happened too fast. The ground below them was falling into the crevice, and they could do nothing to get away.

There were no longer sounds of cracking ice, only the thundering roar of falling ground and frozen snow grinding its way downhill. Rin felt herself grow weightless, and she dropped her bag. A flash of red told her Vincent was still there; He had not managed to jump off the falling cliff. She felt snow, rocks and bits of ice scrape her body and face, and her warm hat fell off.

While falling, she protected herself with her arms. The fall seemed to last forever. It resembled a nightmare, and Rin half expected to wake up. Then she saw the ground below. It was filled with thorny crystals. She barely noticed everything down there was glowing, blue and green was everywhere, but also realized that she was going to land just _there; _among the beautiful, yet deadly and sharp crystals.

Bracing herself with her hands wouldn't help at all. Just as these thought crossed her mind she felt her arm being pulled, and she was thrown in a different direction. She saw something crimson red, then she landed on the flat ground, hitting her head. Then everything disappeared.

------------------------------------

Vincent felt himself starting to fall, and watched Rin do the same, only she seemed to start falling before him. Just as he saw her letting go of the bag, stones and pieces of ice started crashing with him and he lost his concentration. He fell alongside Rin, dodging and blocking obstacles that came in his way. When he was once again in control they were both awfully close to the bottom. To his great dislike, they were both heading straight for the large, sharp crystals. He stretched downwards and reached for Rin's arm. She didn't notice him, so she kept her hands in front of her, probably too busy looking at what she thought would be her future grave.

Vincent had less than seconds to decide, but there was no need to; He had already decided. Once he was close enough to Rin, he reached for her arm one more time. He grabbed her wrist, forcing it away from her. Using his strength, he threw her out of the way. While seeing her fly away from the deadly crystals below, he let himself fall down in her place, knowing he would not die that easily.

But that did not mean it wouldn't hurt. On the contrary.

* * *

...  
I present to you... Cliffy! Say hello to Cliffy, because Cliffy is a good boy. ...I really like saying that. Cliffy. _Cliffy._

I think the button on the lower left of this page is beautiful. Don't you think so too? The gorgeous Review Button. (Hint.)  
Cliffy likes the review button just as much as I do. (Hint no.2)


	7. Counteraction

Disclaimer: I don't own Fincent Falentine or Vinal Vantasy. (...That was on purpose.)

Thank you all for the reviews! You have no idea how much it helps... Cookies and hugs to you!  
...I didn't really like this chapter too much... Perhaps it's just me.

* * *

Counteraction (edited Nov. 4. 2007)

* * *

The first thing Rin noticed when she woke up was the glowing surroundings. Blue light illuminated everything. The second thing she noticed was pain. Her head hurt, as did her arm. But if she ignored that, she was actually fine. The third thing that came to her mind was Vincent. And upon remembering him, Rin's pains did no longer matter at all. She felt an increasing worry as she got to her feet. Stumbling slightly, she tried to find him by searching with her eyes. 

He had once again saved her life, and Rin was well aware that it could have cost him his life. The mere thought was enough to make her insides contort with guilt.

Her gaze turned to the tall sharp crystals nearby. Before thinking, she ran towards them, determination taking the place of cautiousness. Her feet moved quickly, and Rin felt her head throb as she ran. Small rocks and dust was still falling from above, but she ignored it and kept running. It was still snowing, but not much snow came all the way down here, as the wind blew it away before it reached the ground.

Rin stopped, breathing fast. Her mouth was open and once again she felt her lungs sting when she breathed. But she couldn't have cared less. In front of her were countless tall crystals. Whether they were made of Mako or ice she didn't know, so she moved a hand forward to touch one. It wasn't cold, nor warm. _Mako crystals._

Her eyes moved up, and she instantly flinched at the sight. There was blood on the edge of one of the crystals, and on the ones next to it as well. Rin's eyes were wide in fear.  
What if she would find him dead? She moved her gloved hands up and started climbing in amongst the crystals. Slowly making her way to where she thought Vincent was, she tried to prepare herself for what she would see.

And then she saw him. He was on his stomach, and his head rested against the side of a crystal. Both arms were sprawled around him; one up and the other down. His red cloak was stuck between many of the crystals and hid most of him from Rin's view. A chill filled her with a force strong enough to make her freeze and never melt again.

"Vin-" she whimpered, but she couldn't manage to say his name. With trembling hands she made her way to him, and on her way she loosened his cape from the grip of the crystals. As gently as she could, she moved her arms around his shoulders and chest and turned him around slowly. He didn't make a sound. Rin was on the verge of breakdown, and tears filled her eyes. She moved her hand to his neck and carefully checked his pulse. It was still there. Rin let out a sigh of relief and let her tears run down her cheeks freely.  
He was alive.

As Vincent was now on his back she had thought she would see his injuries, but his cloak was still all over him. With a great deal of effort Rin managed to get to her feet with Vincent's arm around her neck. Supporting him while trying to get out of the forest of crystals was not easy at all, and they didn't come out the same place Rin had entered. Vincent was heavy, and Rin still didn't know how injured he was, so she hurried to find somewhere safe to stay. After some excruciatingly long minutes of searching, she finally found a small cave that would shelter them somewhat from the cold wind.

Rin bent down and gently lowered Vincent to the ground. Then she unbuckled his cloak. With some difficulties she managed to get it off him. Rin shut her eyes for some second as she saw parts of his right side completely torn. She put the cloak down on the ground and moved Vincent over to it, hoping it would be at least a little warmer than the ground itself.

To her surprise he was not bleeding an awful lot. There hadn't been too much blood around the crystals either, just a little. Was that good or bad? Was it some kind of trick of his? Rin shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to do. Could it be an attribute of Chaos or something..? But she should still check to see how serious it was, just in case, so she unbuttoned his black shirt. Rin carefully opened it to see the damage, and realized the wound was not as large as she had thought. Vincent's clothes and cloak had taken the most damage, or so it seemed. Perhaps he had been severely injured, but then he somehow managed to heal..?

While thinking of possibilities, Rin's eyes wandered to his toned chest, and blushing, she immediately looked away. She frowned slightly of her actions. Peeking back, she also noticed several scars. Not big, ugly scars, but thin and fine ones. Moving her eyes to the wound that was about to close, she figured it would leave behind quite an ugly scar. What could she do about that? She didn't have any bandages, and her bag was gone. Perhaps she had something in her pockets. Her black coat hadn't really been used that much, but she knew there were some things in it. To her utter delight, she found a small bottle of decontamination ointment. It would at least prevent infection in the wound.

She had probably put it in there long ago for emergencies such as these, when she had no bag. Searching the other pockets, she found no bandages. It couldn't be helped. Figuring her own coat was quite clean, she got it off and started tearing off long bits of it. She would have used Vincent's cape if she would've had the nerve, but that would be rude, considering he had saved her life more than just one time.

After going outside to clean her hands in the snow, she started using the ointment on the injury. Afterwards she used the long bits of her coat to bandage him, and tied them securely, yet not too tight. Stealing one last glance of Vincent's pale, yet extraordinarily nice-looking chest, she blushed and started buttoning his shirt. Then she checked his legs and arms briefly to see if he was hurt there as well.

She frowned as she saw one of his wrists looking rather swollen. She doubted it was broken, though. It was probably sprained.As she took his hand in her own, his wrist did indeed seem to be rather swelled. There was still some 'bandages' left from her coat, and she used it to secure the wrist. Vincent was still on top of his red cloak, but Rin still managed to use some of it to cover him. That way he had some of it under, and some of it on top of himself. Hopefully that would keep him warm. After tearing off cloth from her long coat, it had now turned into short jacket. At least it had arms.

...Should she make a fire or something? No, that would probably attract fiends. Besides, Rin had no idea where to find usable wood, nor was she good at making the fire itself.  
She brushed off the idea. Finally able to relax somewhat, she realized she had an immense headache, and she also felt dizzy. Knowing there was not much she could do at the moment, Rin lay down on the ground, facing the cave entrance. Her back was in contact with Vincent, or rather, Vincent's cloak.

-----------------------------------

Vincent woke up in a daze. Upon realizing he was not among the mako crystals, he wondered what had happened. He knew it had not been a dream, because his right side and his hand hurt. He rose his head slightly, but put it back down again. Rising his hand was much easier. He was surprised to see that it was bandaged. The bandage was black.

Out of curiousness he moved slightly to find out if his torso was bandaged as well. It was, but that did not interest him much. What _did,_ however, was that _something _was right next to him. He turned his head to see the Rin, who was currently right next to him, facing the exit of the cave they were in.

Though his body hurt from his fall, he could still think clearly. Rin had obviously helped him out of the crystal graveyard and bandaged him. But with what? Didn't she loose her bag? He once again rose his head to look around the small cave. There was no bag to be seen. However, as he moved his red gaze back to Rin, he noticed her coat looked like it was made of the same material as the bandages.

Glancing at his hand again confirmed his suspicion; she had used her own coat to make bandages. She had also wrapped him in his own cloak. He didn't know whether he should think of her as smart or not, because she was surely very cold right now. But even so, he was grateful to her for trying to help. He let out a silent sigh.

-----------------------------------

Rin hadn't slept at all. Her head was still hurting, and the only part of her that was still warm was her back. Vincent had moved slightly, and even sighed once, but Rin had no idea whether he was awake or not. She didn't ask.

Since she was unable to sleep, she sat up and looked around. Frowning, she closed her eyes. A hurricane seemed to fill her head at the slightest movement. Perhaps it would help to drink something. She remembered the warm chocolate in her bag, and the thought of it made her get up. A glance down at Vincent told her he was asleep. Or at least his eyes were closed.

She moved slowly towards the cave entrance and looked around. Where could her bag be? Where had she lost it? A vague memory of seeing her bag fly away appeared in her mind and she looked to her side. It had to be there somewhere. Staying alert, she started searching, while at the same time looking out for fiends. Her bag was black, and the surroundings were either white or blue. Snow, walls, stones and crystals. The light from the crystals seemed to illuminate everything else, and every shadow looked like her bag. So when she'd had enough, Rin sat down on a rock.

To her surprise, the rock felt quite lumpy and not as flat as it had looked. It was even soft at places. Rin wearily got to her feet and turned to look at it. The rock was actually her bag. Rin smiled slightly in relief and sighed at the same time, and picked up her small bag. Then she went back to the small cave, content that her search had been successful, albeit in a rather strange way. She was glad Vincent hadn't been there to witness it.

Upon coming back, she sat down next to him. She was still a little dizzy, and it bothered her. At least she had something to drink now. Rin found the warm chocolate and poured some of it into a plastic cup while silently thanking herself for not having brought a glass cup instead. A glass cup would definitely have broken. She moved her hand over to Vincent and poked his shoulder carefully. His eyes opened in a way that suggested he had been awake all along. Rin blinked in surprise, but then gave a silent laugh.

Not saying a word, as her voice would probably tear out the insides of her aching head, she handed him the cup of warm chocolate. He brought his clawed hand up and grabbed it, and then sat up. While observing the warm drink, his eyes narrowed.  
If it wouldn't have been for her headache, Rin would have told him it wasn't poisoned. Just like the soup back in Nibelheim.

Vincent eventually tasted the warm chocolate, and upon doing so, he arched a brow. Rin hoped he did so because he liked it, and not the other way around. Her worries disappeared as he drank it all in one time. Rin smiled weakly as he returned the cup. Then she frowned, noticing that Vincent's cup was the only cup she had.

The fantastic smell of hot chocolate suddenly seemed immensely annoying.

-----------------------------------------

Vincent observed Rin as she stared at the empty cup. Why didn't she say anything? If anyone were to stay silent, that would be himself. Upon lifting his gaze to her eyes, he noticed they were dull and lifeless. She swayed slightly, but he wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't he been this close to her. Then she seemed to make up her mind about something, and poured the rest of the warm chocolate into the cup. It wasn't much, but it was about as much as she had given him.  
Was that cup the only one they had?

He watched her as she drank it. Her face regained some color, which was a good sign. Upon noticing he watched her, she lowered the cup and blushed slightly. He kept watching, silently wanting her to drink up.

In the Turks, all the superiors used to say that drinking was one of the most important things if you wanted to survive. Dehydration was a dangerous thing, and it could happen to anyone who didn't drink enough. However, some of them didn't quite understand this, as they put out their thirst by drinking alcohol. They usually felt even more dehydrated the next day. And they always complained about their headaches, too. How bothersome.

-----------------------------------------

Rin watched Vincent stare at her cup. His gaze slowly moved from the cup and over to her, then to the cup, and back to her again. She moved the cup to her mouth again and hurried to drink up the rest. Having him watching her was weird. She didn't know if he wanted her to drink or if he wanted her to give him the rest. But if he wanted the rest, it was too late now. She had already emptied the cup. Her headache immediately calmed down, and she couldn't help but sigh at the feeling. Perhaps she could try talking now. She looked at Vincent, who was still looking at her, and her cheeks reddened a little again.

"...Why do you blush?" Vincent asked, his voice dark. Rin just blushed more at that question.  
"I, I just _do._" she said, and her face got even redder. At least it got warmer at the same time.

"Why?" he asked, and Rin frowned.  
"Because I'm embarrassed." she said, turning away.

"Why?" he asked again, and Rin's frown deepened.  
"_Because, _you've saved my life two, no, _three_ times now, and the third time you almost got killed! And that was my fault!" Rin said, her voice just strong enough to make her head start hurting again. First Chaos, then the Crater fiends, then the Mako crystals... She had yet to save him even once. She had _helped _him, yes, but nothing more. It made her feel useless, and she didn't like it.

"Would it matter to you if I died?" he asked, and Rin blinked, a shocked expression on her face.  
"Yeah!" she said, her voice determined as she nodded. Vincent said nothing at this, just looked at her.  
This made her cheeks turn even darker, and Rin could feel her blush extending to her ears.

"...Why?" he asked, his voice dark and hollow.

"Um.. Because you're my friend. My _comrade._ We haven't known each other for too long, but that does certainly not mean we can't be friends." Rin answered, hoping he would stop asking silly questions. The only positive thing coming out of this was that her face and ears were now getting warmer by the second.  
"Why do you consider me a friend?" he demanded, and Rin sighed uncomfortably. After thinking a little, she straightened her back.

"One: Because you've saved my life a couple of times. Two: Because you like the food I make. Three: Because you're a good man." Rin said, and once again turned away from him, with one hand on her head. Her headache was increasing in strength now.

"...I'm a good man." he said, as if trying out the words she had said. "A good man?"  
Rin couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that.  
"But how come you weren't mortally wounded back there? How did your wound close up like that?" Rin asked, looking at Vincent with curiosity. Whether it was his own doing or results of Chaos, she did not know. But judging from the way his face darkened, she could guess the answer.

"...The genes of Chaos. I regenerate quickly." Vincent said, his voice low and silent.  
"Oh..." Rin said, shifting slightly before lowering her head a little. Now that her question was answered, she couldn't really think of anything else to say. Even though he was already starting to heal, it was still her own fault they were there in the first place. A guilty feeling tugged at her insides, urging her to say anything at all that could be considered an apology.

"...I'm sorry for being a bother." she mumbled, barely audible.

-----------------------------

"...Bother?" Vincent said, amused at her words. Rin hugged herself, her arms holding around her waist tightly.

"Mhm. And thank you for saving me." she mumbled, and Vincent barely heard her this time. He observed her. Her head was still bent down and he couldn't see her face. When he didn't say anything in return, she glanced up, but didn't say anything.  
"...Anytime." he heard himself say, his dark voice echoing a little in the small cave. Rin smiled, obviously relieved.

"I also wish to apologize." he said, and her smile disappeared.  
"What for?" she asked, genuinely confused. She seemed to think she was the only one to blame for their current situation. That was not entirely correct.

"...For jumping to conclusions regarding your former position in Shinra." he said. He could tell that Rin thought through his words from the way her eyes narrowed.  
Then she understood.  
"Ah... No problem. Sorry for yelling at you back there, and sorry for running away, too." she said. Then, after shifting a little, she got to her feet. And before he could respond, she muttered something under her breath:

"Gah... My butt's sleeping."  
"...Be glad it does not snore as well."

At this, her eyes widened and she stared at him. Then the corners of her mouth started going up, and she stared shaking, as if she was trying to hold her laughter. She did not succeed. On the contrary, she laughed so loudly Vincent wished to take back his words. What if she attracted fiends?  
...But on the other hand... Her laughter was quite cheerful and bright.

After laughing out loud for many seconds, Rin finally stopped, breathing heavily. She held her hands to her head and frowned, a painful expression on her face.  
"Ow, ow, ow..." she whispered, clutching her head with her hands. Did she have a headache? Vincent used his clawed hand for support as he got to his feet and walked over to her. Noticing him approaching, she let her hands drop to her side.  
"Did you by any chance hit your head when you fell?" he asked, and she made a displeased frown.  
"...Yeah, probably." Rin said, avoiding his question somewhat.

"It doesn't hurt as long as I keep my voice down, though... Say, can we leave this place?" she said, pain evident in her face. Vincent blinked. She had a point. They should not stay here for too long in case fiends came around. Besides, it was cold here and there was no food. They could follow the bottom of the crevice south. If they were lucky, they would get to somewhere warmer. He started walking, not waiting for her. But not too fast, though, as he still had his injuries to worry about. Vincent heard Rin tidy up the cup and thermos flask, and threw a glance over his shoulder. She jogged along and caught up with him.

"You. Don't throw jokes like that one. You really took me off guard there. My head nearly exploded." she said in a warning tone.  
"Hm." he responded.  
"...Mind you, I _will_ get my revenge on you." she added, a determined leer and a small smirk entering her face.

"I doubt it." he said in a dark voice, sounding slightly bored. At this, Rin sent him a glare that made him smirk, if only just a little.  
"HA!" she exclaimed, pointing at Vincent, but instantly regretted it as her head started hurting again from her exclamation. She brought both of her hands to her temples and frowned. She took a deep breath while trying to lower her headache.

At her exclamation his smirk grew a little larger. But just a little.

* * *

...  
Hm. Not my fav chapter, but I do hope you liked it.  
...In case you didn't get the ''My butt is sleeping''-joke: When Vincent said ''Be glad it doesn't snore as well'', he meant ''Be glad you didn't fart as well.'' 


	8. Hello

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. (I _do _have some of the games, but that doesn't matter.)

I don't know if the airship runs on gas, petrol or Mako, but in this story it's gas. (Bad airship, polluting like that! ...Let's pretend it has cleansing filters or something.)

* * *

Hello (edited Nov. 8. 2007)

* * *

After hours of walking, evening overcame Rin and Vincent. Darkness had come upon them, but at the same time the temperature had increased because they were heading south. It was still cold, though, and they had yet to find shelter. At least there was no snow. They had left the crevice and entered a large, open area with beautiful old buildings, each of them seeming to shine in an eerie glow reflected from hidden Mako. It was so quiet Rin was sure Vincent could have heard her heart beat if it wouldn't have been for her annoyingly loud breathing. She was exhausted.

"...Vincent..." Rin mumbled, far behind Vincent. He stopped to wait. Once she was close enough to him, she stopped as well.

"Vincent, do you know where we are?" she asked again, barely audible. Vincent looked around. From what he could see, they were no longer in the Crater. They were surrounded by old buildings made out of either rocks or gigantic conch shells. An ancient city.

"...I believe we are in the Forgotten Capital." he said, his voice distant as his gaze flew across the old buildings. He remembered the last time he had been here, with Cloud and the others. That time, Aerith had been killed by Sephiroth. He hadn't been here since then. Or he had, but not _here._ He had only been as far as the Sleeping Forest, where he had once again met Cloud just as he was fighting Kadaj and his gang. Cloud had almost been overpowered, but Vincent got him out of there.

In other words, this place did not bring along happy memories. The place looked _sad._  
"Forgotten Capital? It's beautiful here. But it looks so... dreary..." Rin said, watching the old, white rock houses. Vincent gave no response. Though it was very late and the sky was dark, the ancient city seemed to be illuminated. It was shining. Rin looked up.

"Look, the stars! There's not a single cloud up there!" she exclaimed, and Vincent didn't quite understand what was so enlightening about that.  
"Perhaps your phone will work now!" she added. Upon hearing that, Vincent blinked. He had forgotten all about the phone. But he wouldn't tell her that.  
Once he found his phone and opened it, he searched for Cid's number, and called him after finding it. Throwing a glance at Rin, he could tell she was almost holding her breath.

_Beep... Beep... Beep... _

"_Hey, you. I'm not here right now, so when ya hear the 'beep', hang up." _Vincent heard, and at first he didn't quite understand. But once he heard the 'beep' right after the message, he realized this was probably what Tifa had dubbed a 'voicemail'.

"...Cid. You should call back." he said, and hung up, hoping he had done it the right way.  
When Rin looked confused, Vincent turned to her.  
"...Voicemail." he explained. Rin sighed loudly, letting her head hang down.

"So... What now?" she asked, looking into his red eyes. For once, she did not break eye contact. Rin had never been able to look straight into his eyes for longer than seconds at a time. Just like everyone else. How long would she be able to withstand it? Vincent barely narrowed his eyes, holding her gaze.

Five seconds went by. Then ten. She kept looking, completely unaware that Vincent kept count. ...Twenty seconds. She was had already beaten Yuffie and Barret. Rin blinked, still watching him, expecting the answer of a question Vincent had already forgotten. This was quite entertaining. Half a minute had passed without her looking away. She had now beaten the record of everyone in Avalanche except for Tifa and Cloud.

...Forty seconds. Forty-five. Tifa's record had been broken. Rin blinked again, twice this time. Her green eyes didn't move from his, as though she was unaware she was still watching him. Fifty-five. Vincent wondered how long she would last. What could she be thinking about? One minute. He held back a smirk. Rin's eyes moved back and forth between his two red ones. One minute and ten seconds. Cloud had officially been beaten. Vincent had to remember to tell him that.

Only one person had lasted longer than Cloud. And that was Lucrecia. She had lasted for one minute and forty-five seconds, and then she had started laughing uncontrollably. Even now, he had no idea why she had done so. Rin had lasted for one minute and twenty-five seconds now, but seemed to finally notice that she was actually looking straight at him. She looked away.

"...One minute and thirty seconds. Fifteen seconds from the record." he said in a silent voice, making Rin turn to him again.  
"I looked at you for that long?" she asked, blushing. Vincent gave a short.  
"...Sorry, I was just waiting for you to answer my question..." she mumbled. What had she asked about? Vincent tried remembering. "_...What now?"_ Yes, that was it.

"...Now, we wait." he said in a confident, yet quiet voice. At this, Rin sat down on the dusty ground to rest. Walking for as long as the two of them had, she was obviously tired.  
"Can I look at your phone?" she asked. Vincent glanced at the phone that was still in his hand. It couldn't hurt to just let her borrow it, so he threw it over to her, and she caught it.

While she explored the small gadget, Vincent walked away. They would probably have to wait a long time for Cid to call back, so they should find shelter for the night. No fiends had crossed their path. But that was only out of luck. After some time of searching, he came across a huge conch house, and upon glancing inside, he saw that it was decorated and even had some furniture. The ancient shell house would be and ideal shelter until Cid got around. He wondered if Cid had already left, or if he was actually searching.

He walked inside and heard Rin come after him. She had probably gotten tired of his phone already. Vincent was given his cellphone by a smiling Rin. After dropping her bag to the floor, she settled on a stone chair and looked around the room, nodding in acknowledgement.  
She seemed to like this place. Vincent couldn't blame her. Though it was abandoned and old, it was still quite beautiful. But that didn't change the fact that the entire place looked dead, and it was still cold. The only thing that was alive in the Forgotten Capital was the light. Even fiends were missing. But then there was himself and Rin. The two of them were very much alive.

The sound of his phone stopped his train of thought, and he grabbed the phone with his clawed hand and answered the call.  
"Hello." he said, his voice monotone.  
"_Hello?! What'cha mean, 'hello'?! Where on the Planet are ya?" _Cid replied. Vincent didn't get to say anything else before Cid started ranting again.

"_Cloud went out after ya even though your tracks were almost gone! And all he found was a hole in the effin' ground!" _Cid yelled, muttering curses between his words. Vincent lowered the phone and clicked the 'speaker' button. Cid's swearing could now be heard by both him and Rin. Rin's eyebrows rose at his colorful word combinations.

"_Holy Holy! We thought ya were goners, we did, dammit! ...Where are ya?" _Cid continued.  
"...We appreciate your concern, Cid, but we only have minor injuries." Vincent said in a monotone, dark voice. Rin chuckled.  
"_Whaaat?! Who said anythin' 'bout worryin'?! And what'cha mean, injuries? You guys hurt? I'm disappointed, Vince." _Cid said, and Vincent rose a brow, amused.

"We were unlucky enough to fall down from a rather disturbing height, and are currently in the Forgotten Capital." Vincent said, throwing a glance down to his bandaged wrist.  
It didn't hurt as much now. He wpuld be able to remove the pieces of cloth from it soon enough.  
"_...Bah, who cares. Imma' pick your asses up as soon as I get the airship started. Smell ya later." _Cid said and hung up. Rin laughed quietly. Vincent just stared at the phone.

"Smell..?" he said, and Rin laughed some more. Was he missing something?  
"Don't worry, you don't smell bad." she said in a comforting voice. Vincent frowned slightly.  
"How _do _I smell, then?" he mumbled, not expecting her to answer.

"You smell good. Like morning." she said, mostly as a joke, and then gave a soft laugh. Then she stopped and frowned, as if realizing she had said something strange.  
"How is that possible? What does morning smell like?" he asked. Rin's eyes narrowed slowly, as if thinking.

"...Like morning dew on green leaves, I'd say." she said in a mild voice, but then laughed out loud again.  
"Sorry, that was stupid. I'm not good at describing things. But you _do _smell like morning." she added. Vincent left it at that. Smelling like morning was good, right? After all, there were worse smells in this world. Like dust. Or that nasty basement smell he had been breathing in for thirty years. And Cid when he was drunk.

"...But what do _I_ smell like?" he heard her ask, curious. Vincent honestly didn't know. Pondering upon other people's scents wasn't something he usually did.  
"I am not sure." he said, watching his phone.

--------------------------

Goodness. She had just told Vincent he smelled like _morning._ How embarrassing. And then she had asked him what _she _smelled like. Smooth._ Not. _Suddenly desperate for a change of subject, she looked around the room. The shell house they were in was small for a house, but there were some stairs leading to another floor.

"This place has more than one floor?" she mumbled, and got to her feet. Vincent moved his gaze from his phone and over to Rin, and moved the phone back into one of his pockets. She made her way up the stairs, and upon seeing the new room, the first thing she noticed was some beds. All the beds were lined up next to each other, and each one had blankets, quilts and pillows. The thick quilts looked especially nice.

"Hey, look what I found!" she called down to Vincent and walked over to the beds. Once there, she grabbed two quilts from two of the beds and walked over to the stairs. Vincent sat right next to the stairs below and hadn't moved, obviously ignoring her. So to wake him up from his thoughts, she dropped one of the quilts down on his head. Before he realized what it was, she hurried downstairs and sat back down on the stone chair she had occupied before. The other quilt she had found was wrapped around her tightly, and only the upper half of her face showed.

Slowly, Vincent moved his clawed hand up to remove the quilt from his view. Rin laughed, her laugh muffled from her own warm quilt. Once the obstacle was removed from his head, he looked over at her. She still sat on the chair from before, only this time she was cuddled in the quilt she had found upstairs. Her cheeks felt slightly red, but whether it was from the warmth of the quilt, or something else, she did not know. Vincent observed her.

"...At least we don't have to be cold." she excused, her voice muffled from behind the quilt, and Vincent blinked. He grabbed the quilt she had dropped at him before and got to his feet. In a swift movement, he moved it around himself and sat back down.

This action earned him a grin from Rin, who was trying to hold back her laughter again.  
"...What." he demanded, seemingly uncomfortable, despite the warmth of his quilt.  
"That quilt _deviates from your usual attire._" she said in a smart voice, earning herself a glare from Vincent. He didn't comment it, though.

Then they heard something from outside. It sounded like the growl of an engine, so Rin believed it was Cid's airship. She looked at Vincent to see if she was right. He nodded.  
"...Time to go." he said, his voice barely audible over the sound of the approaching airship. Rin nodded back, slightly disappointed. Now they would have to leave the safety of this newly found little house, which she was already quite fond of.

As Vincent got to his feet again, he left the quilt behind. Rin, however, was quite reluctant to do so. It was too warm and comfortable. But then again, she couldn't just _take _it. Vincent moved outside, but came in again after only seconds. Sighing, Rin tried enjoying one last piece of warmth before letting go of her quilt. Then she grabbed her bag and ran outside, into the cold, wanting to get aboard the airship as fast as possible.

Vincent followed her, and they both watched the airship hover above them.

"Aren't they coming down?" Rin asked loudly, as the noisy engines on the ship were quite loud. Vincent answered by pointing up towards the ship, and Rin looked up. Behind the railing was Cloud, and he held what Rin feared was a long rope. One end of it was tied to the railing. She frowned as she saw him drop the rest of it down to the two of them.

Being cuddled in the warmth of her quilt in the shell-house was most certainly much more tempting than holding on to a thin rope very far above the ground. Thinking this, she glanced back to the ancient house with longing in her eyes. Her view was blocked as Vincent stepped in between, very aware that she wanted to stay behind. Not that she'd actually do it; She was just a little tempted, that was all. Vincent approached her and urged her to go forward by nodding in the direction of the rope hanging from the airship.

Rin clenched her teeth. She just needed to get it over with.She didn't want to be stamped for all eternity as "coward".With renewed determination, she made sure the bag was secured over her shoulder, and ran for the rope. Before she could stop, she grabbed it and shut her eyes. Her gloved hands closed around the rope, and she tried to hold on with her feet as well. As the airship rose slightly, the rope shifted, and Rin's grip tightened. She doubted she had ever held onto anything as tightly as that before.

She wasn't really afraid of heights, she just didn't like them very much. Slowly, she opened her eyes, every muscle in her body tense. The rope moved again as Vincent grabbed onto it below her, and right after he had done so, the airship rose to the skies.

"...Gnnnnn!" was heard as Rin expressed how uncomfortable she felt. In the corner of her eye she saw the ground disappear below. Rin couldn't resist it; She _had_ to look down. Once she did, her eyes widened and she froze, her gaze fixed on the very small spot down there that was the house in which they had been. When had her life turned _this _eventful? If her hands had been cold earlier that day, they were most likely even colder now. Then she saw Vincent. He looked as calm as ever, of course. Despite the fact that his hair and red cloak violently billowed and flowed around him in the wind, he looked as though he didn't mind hanging onto the disturbingly thin rope at all. He observed her as she watched him. Her face definitely didn't look as calm as his, that much she knew.

"...Don't look down. Start climbing." he said, and though his voice was louder than usual in order for her to hear him, it was still dark and smooth. Rin's eyes widened even more. Climb? Like in climb up there? She glanced up, barely able to see Cloud's face. He was so far away. ...From down here, he looked like a chocobo because of his hair. Her eyebrows knitted as she let out a small cry of disappointment.

"Thank-you-very-much,-you!" Rin managed to say. She was happy to hear that her voice didn't sound frightened, but rather angry instead. It made her just a little bit more confident. But not much. Feeling her knuckles ache, she loosened one of her hands and moved it up, and then grabbed the rope firmly again. Then she did the same with her other hand, only this time she moved her hand even higher. After her hands were once again holding the rope in a death-grip, she hoisted herself up a little.

"...Good. Continue." she heard from below. Rin frowned deeply. Why had Cid risen the airship? If he would just have landed, or at least let it hover in mid-air where it had been, things would have been so much easier. Her hands moved up, one by one, and she continued hoisting herself up slowly. Throwing a glance down, she noticed they were now flying above a dark forest. She also noticed Vincent was right behind her. The cold wind brushed past them, making her ears ache and nose freeze. She wished she hadn't dropped her warm hat back in the crevice. At least she still had her gloves.

But Vincent only used his clawed hand while climbing, as his other hand was still bandaged.

Rin could rest her hands as she climbed, but he had to use the same hand all the way up. This worried her, and she suddenly felt less frightened. Her hands moved slightly faster, and she was getting closer to Cloud by the minute. She kept glancing back, though, as if to check if Vincent was still there. Somewhere deep inside, she doubted he'd fall. But she still had to be completely sure that he was there.

When she was finally close enough for Chocobo-head to take her hand and help her aboard, she couldn't help but smile in gratitude. Despite her gloves, her hands had never before been this cold. At least they were _there._ Still tired, she turned and watched as Vincent hoisted himself over the railing, and flashed him a wide smile.

"Your arm okay?" she asked, and he arched an eyebrow.

-----------------------------

As Vincent hoisted himself over the railing, he was surprised to find Rin smiling. He had thought she would be mad at Cid for flying off like he had. But what surprised him even more was her question.

"Your arm okay?" he heard her ask. He rose his bandaged hand and waved it slowly as an answer. She laughed.

"What about your _other_ arm? The one you used to climb all the way up here." she asked again. He looked down to his clawed hand. Cloud had untied the rope and brought it back onto the ship, and looked at the two of them, not quite knowing what to say.

"...My other arm is cold, but otherwise fine." Vincent said, his voice rather stiff. Had Rin hurried like that because he could only use one arm to climb? He resisted the urge to smirk at that, because he _had _used his other arm as well, only not nearly as much as his clawed one. ...But he wasn't planning on telling her that. Like so many other things.  
She'd probably end up scolding him for using his damaged hand, just like Tifa used to scold Cloud before. Not because they wanted to fight, but because they cared.

"...I think Cid wanted a word with you." Cloud said, looking at Vincent. He nodded and left the two. Once he was inside, Rin turned to Cloud.  
"Thanks for helping." she said, smiling at the blond man.  
"No problem. I got some extra training while searching for you." he said, and Rin laughed sheepishly at this. His strong blue eyes looked at her as he waited for her to say something.

"Um, sorry for causing _you _trouble as well." Rin said. At this, Cloud rose an eyebrow.  
"...As well?" he asked, his blue gaze strong and piercing. Rin tilted her head slightly and she averted her gaze.  
"Well, yeah... I've caused a lot of people trouble." she mumbled, and was rewarded with a 'hm' from Cloud as he moved his gaze to the door instead.

"...I suppose I know how you feel." he said in a distant voice, and then walked over to the door, opening it for the two of them.

As he said no more, Rin walked forward, her bag still over her shoulder, and entered the airship. She almost stopped as she walked through the door; A wall of warmth met her and she instantly felt her cheeks redden of it. It was almost unbearably warm. But just almost. She welcomed it, and she smiled. She could feel her ears again now.

"...Sorry about the way Cid started flying the airship before you were on board. We don't have much gas left, and he has to find somewhere safe to land before it runs out completely. He used quite a lot of it while searching for you two." Cloud said before leaving Rin in the hall, and she blinked.

_...Oops._

* * *

...  
Reviews will be used to feed the pink elephants in the spare room of my space ship. 


	9. Events

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Haha... You still haven't noticed what I've done with the name of the chapters? (hint: check out the first letter of each chapter...)

* * *

Events

* * *

After returning to the airship, Rin couldn't sleep. It was too warm. The hours she had spent outside made the ship feel like an oven. Thus, she wandered around the airship, silently wishing tiredness would overcome her. The long, white night dress Tifa had given her billowed around her as she walked. She didn't bother turning on any lights; she could see just fine without them. The moon lit up the common room through the windows as she entered it.

Rin walked over to the old red sofa Yuffie had occupied while telling her story. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let herself fall onto it. She landed on her side and let one of her arms rest over the edge of it. Her face dug its way down into one of the pillows.

For her, this was quite luxurious. She had never been able to simply rest on a sofa before. In her old home there was no sofa, just worn-out beds. Shinra had some, but she had never even gotten the chance to try them. In other words, being on an airship and wandering around as she liked was something she appreciated.

And the sofa was quite soft.

Before they had all went to bed, Cid had landed the airship outside of Midgar. He would go buy some gas tomorrow, he said. Cloud had gone back to Tifa's bar, Seventh Heaven, to help out with something. She didn't know what. An unexplainable feeling of happiness filled her. Rin didn't know why, but she felt delighted by just being here, with the rest of the Avalanche members. With these thoughts sweeping across her mind, she slowly fell asleep.

-----------------------------------

Vincent walked through the halls without anything particular in mind. His wounds from his and Rin's small 'excursion' had healed, and although his torso still hurt slightly, he was fine. Perhaps he could go get something to drink. He wasn't really thirsty, but some water would do him good. Tiredness had yet to overcome him, and he had decided he wouldn't go to bed. There would be plenty of time to sleep another time. Besides, he had already slept for thirty years once before, so why rush with the sleeping now?

He entered the common room, in which the kitchen was installed, and started to walk over to the sink. However, as he noticed something, he stopped. His gaze ran over the features of the person on the sofa. Some seconds passed before he realized it was Rin. Her brown hair covered her shoulders, and some of it had settled over her face. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, and her eyes were closed. She looked so peaceful; Her breath was calm and her arms were resting at her side.

Rin slept peacefully, unaware that her cheeks were red from the warmth, and unaware that he was here. Suddenly feeling guilty, Vincent turned his head away. Then he frowned; He had no reason to feel guilty. After all, _she _was the one who had decided to rest there.

...But she probably hadn't thought she'd fall asleep. She would probably be embarrassed if Cid woke her up in the morning. Should he wake her up now? ...No, he'd probably scare her. Who would want to be awakened from their peaceful dreams by a tall, dark-haired man whose eyes resembled that of a vampire? Rin would surely not like that. He wondered vaguely how her face would look, but immediately dismissed the thought.

Should he... carry her to her room? Or would she wake up? That would definitely scare her more than just being awakened by him. Vincent, having completely forgotten about the glass of water he previously desired, walked over to the old sofa.

He carefully touched her arm, believing that would wake her up. It didn't. His arm moved forward again, and this time he pushed her shoulder gently. She still didn't move. Becoming more used to the dark, Vincent was quite certain she hadn't even stirred at all. Perhaps he should just leave her to Cid.

...No. That wouldn't do. That womanizer could not be trusted with Rin. Having settled his mind, Vincent moved his clawed hand under her shoulders without touching her with them. He let her rest against his arm instead, and moved his other hand under her legs. Then he rose her into the air, half expecting her to wake up, but she remained still.

Without a sound, he carried her over to the door. How would he open it? He mentally frowned, and hoped Cid didn't have video cameras installed here as he balanced on one foot and used the other to gently kick the door open. It opened slowly, and Vincent walked through it. Where was her room? Feeling increasingly uneasy, he moved along the corridors, occasionally glancing down. Rin still looked as calm as she had done when he found her.

He soon spotted the door to her room, and was glad she had left it open. He used his elbow to open it completely. Upon entering the room, though, he did not quite know what to do. The room was so dark he couldn't see a thing. Not even the light switch was visible. Vincent moved forward very slowly, searching for the bed. Once his knees hit it, he stopped. Then he lowered Rin down onto the bed. After letting go, he felt himself relax and let out his breath. He hadn't realized he was that tense. Rin was barely visible, as her white night gown was the only thing that could be seen in the dark.

Then Vincent once again frowned as something hit him. When Rin woke up, she would surely ask how she magically moved from the red coach in the common room and all the way to her room. As he left her room, he hoped she'd buy it if he told her she had walked in her sleep.

-----------------------------------

"Come on, now, we don't have all day!" Cid said loudly, leading way through the alleys of Midgar. Rin and Vinced followed him, Rin looking around nervously. When Rin had walked into the common room that morning, she'd had one question she wanted to ask: How did she end up in her room if she had fallen asleep on the sofa yesterday? Instead, she had been surprised by a very eager looking Cid. He had told her to come with him and Vincent to 7th Heaven, Tifa's bar. Rin had said yes, but that was mostly to be polite. Midgar wasn't a place she was too fond of.

When Cid suddenly turned and waltzed into a building, Rin was slightly hesitant to walk in. Nonetheless she walked forward and entered. She was met with the sight of many people running back and forth, fixing things. There were balloons on the floor. What were those for? Cid turned to her with a grin on his face.

"We're havin' an anniversary!" he announced. Rin looked around again. No one seemed to have noticed them.  
"For who?" she asked, clueless.  
"Not _who, _but _what! _It's for Avalanche! It was founded on this day, some years back. I dunno how many years, though..." he added as an afterthought.  
"Ah..." Rin responded, absorbed in thoughts.

"Cid, Vincent, Rin!" a voice exclaimed, and Rin turned to see an enthusiastic Tifa coming over to them. Her hands were covered in flour. Was she baking something?  
"We're still preparing! Cloud has already helped Barret finish the main project, though..." she said, pointing in their direction. From what Rin could tell, they had expanded the building. New materials were everywhere, and sawdust was in heaps on the floor.

Within minutes, Tifa had explained everything to them. Not all the members of Avalanche were here yet, but most of them were coming later, plus some extra ones. Barret and Cloud helped with cleaning, and Yuffie decorated the place, along with two children named Denzel and Marlene. Cid started walking around, acting useful by throwing random orders around. Vincent just observed, and Rin didn't quite know what to do.

"Everyone has something nice to wear, right?" Tifa asked out loud. As she asked, Barret huffed and waved a hand at her.

"Yeah! And it's your fault! Imma drop that jacket thing, I've got enough even with just a shirt and fancy pants. Suits ain't invented for me, lady." he complained, and Tifa just smiled at him. Marlene, the little girl, walked up to him.  
"I think you'll look good in a suit, daddy!" she said. Barret made the strangest faces at this, but they eventually turned into a strange smile. He nodded slowly, and Marlene smiled happily at him.

"Even _I_ have a suit!" Cid bragged, grinning. Rin frowned nervously. She didn't have any formal clothes, not even a casual dress. Dresses weren't really her favorite clothing. Next to her, she noticed Vincent shifting. Did he have formal clothes?

"Rin! You don't have a dress, do you?" Tifa asked. She turned to Vincent before Rin could answer.  
"Vincent, why don't you take her and buy something?" Tifa asked him. The room suddenly became quiet as the others were awaiting his answer. Rin could feel herself blushing. But Vincent didn't respond.

"...I can go! I haven't got anything ta do anyway." Cid said, breaking the silence. At this, Vincent lowered his head slightly.  
"That will be unnecessary. I have yet to find a suit for myself. We shall both go and obtain the required outfits." Vincent said. Once again the room fell silent. This time, Yuffie was the first to speak.

"Wow, Vince! I'm looking forward to see _you_ in a suit! Be careful, though, or else you'll have a bunch of girl chasing you back here!" she joked, and the children laughed.  
"I do not intend to let that happen." Vincent said, and turned. Before anyone answered, he left. It took some seconds for Rin to realize that she should follow him, and she jerked around and hurried after him.

She had left her bag on Cid's airship, but had brought some money along. Despite this, Rin did not feel ready to go shopping for formal clothes. First, she had never even tried on a formal dress. Second, she had no idea how to go shopping with _Vincent._ ...Speaking of Vincent, where was he?

Glancing around between alleys, old houses and buildings, she caught a glimpse of red. Rin hurried towards it, but as she crossed the dimly lit corner of the tall house, there was no one to be seen. Hesitating, she turned slowly on the spot. Why didn't he wait? Did he want to go alone? ...Perhaps he was planning not to buy a suit at all. Rin wondered how Tifa would react to that. At any rate, it looked as if Rin would have to go alone.

Taking a deep breath, Rin walked in the direction from which most people came from. A populated area usually meant shops were close by. It didn't take long before she arrived at a small place lit by lights in all kinds of colors, with tents all around. She rose her head, searching for a place in which she could purchase a dress. Upon finding a sign above one of the tent openings, Rin jogged forward, making her way through the mass of people that crowded the area.

Other than herself Rin could not see a single person in the shop she entered. That is, if she didn't count in the owner of the shop.  
The owner noticed Rin and hurried to her side, smiling.

"Welcome! Can I be of any help, miss?" she asked Rin, who was not used to shop at places such as these. The place was well lit and dresses and suits were everywhere.  
"Uh... I'm here to find a dress... I think..." Rin answered, becoming increasingly uncomfortable.  
"Ah..." the owner said, giving a reassuring nod. She then looked at Rin, probably trying to think her way to what kind of dress would fit her best.

The clothes Rin wore were not much to brag about. She had brown boots and dark pants, as well as a white tank top and her black, torn jacket. Her clothes were all old and pretty worn out from having used them and cleaned them so many times. Rin glanced at the shop owner just in time to see a look of pity in her eyes. Was it that bad?

"...We should find something that makes your eyes... stand out..." she said, and for a short moment Rin imagined her eyes falling out of her head. She quickly blinked away that thought, though, as she was led to one of the many shelves of clothes by the eager owner.

"For your green eyes I strongly recommend you try something red." she said, and as she found some dresses, Rin thought of the glimpse she had caught of Vincent's red cape earlier. It angered her that he had left without saying why. If he wanted to go alone he could just have told her.  
The owner pushed her into one of the small fitting rooms and handed her the dresses she had found. Then she closed the curtains and told her to try them on. Rin hesitantly started to do as she was told.

--------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in the same shop, the very shop that Rin had chosen, Vincent was in turmoil. As he had entered the shop, muttering words such as 'suit' and 'celebrating', the female owner of the shop had found him some formal clothes and pushed him into a small fitting room. Once he was in there, she had told him to try the clothes on. Shortly thereafter, he could have sworn he heard Rin's voice.

Why was she here? Was there no other stores she could go to?

Pushing his thoughts aside, he looked down at the pile of suits the owner had prepared for him. Clenching his teeth, yet remaining calm on the outside, he started removing his red cape from his shoulders.

--------------------------------------

After trying on three dresses, a deep frown had emerged on Rin's face. All of the dresses looked snobby and floozy on her; they had large patterns of flowers or were covered in some kind of glitter that stuck to her hands. They were too short for her liking, and the huge laces on some of them were just in her way. Rin huffed. Shortly afterwards, the third dress was thrown out of the fitting room, and Rin heard a weary sigh.

"Are you sure none of them fit?" she asked, and Rin didn't answer.

"...Wait! I have an idea!" the owner exclaimed, and Rin heard her run away on her high-heel shoes. Half a minute later, the curtains opened slightly and a hand with a dress appeared. After Rin hesitantly accepting the dress, the hand withdrew. This dress actually looked nice. It was a long dress, almost reaching down to the floor. It was sleeveless and dark red. Rin didn't know much about the different kinds of materials out there, but this reminded her of Vincent's cloak.

And she couldn't help but like it. As she tried it on, it hugged her form nicely; not too tight, and not too loose. From her waistline and down, the skirt widened, making it roomy, yet comfortable. The fabric slid across her skin as she walked around inside the small fitting room, and Rin allowed herself to smile. However, her smile ceased as she thought of the possible price of such a wonderfully crafted dress.

"Uh... The price?" she asked, barely audible, and the owner laughed heartily.  
"I _knew _you'd like it! ...And about the price... It's not that expensive, really. We've been trying to sell it forever." she admitted.

After paying for the dress Rin was about to leave the shop, but came to a halt as she noticed a pile of suits on the floor next to another fitting room. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with troubles. She had kept the dress on, not wanting to bother with changing clothes again. The torn jacket, however, would serve as outerwear until she returned to Tifa's bar. The rest of her clothes and her money was in a small bag which she had been given by the shop owner. The owner had even given her some shoes, and her old ones were in the bag as well.

Grateful, she left the shop, smiling kindly to the lady.

-----------------------------------

Vincent, disturbed by the many suits that did not satisfy him at all, heard the lady whose voice resembled Rin's as she left. Had she found a dress? That thought made him frown slightly. Deciding to find a good suit as fast as possible, he silently promised himself that he would never again enter a shop such as this one ever again. Until now, he had two choices.

_One:_ A full, blue suit resembling that of the Turks. _  
Two:_ Black pants and a red shirt, reminding him somewhat of his clothes and red cloak.

"...Red and black or blue..." he found himself saying, and he heard steps approaching.  
"Did I hear you say red and blue? You have red eyes, have you not? Therefore, a red shirt would fit you... But then again, the red colour would drown your eyes." she said. What she meant by that, he did not know, but he guessed she was right.

"...Blue...?" he muttered.  
"Blue will highlight your eyes more than red, sir." she said, hinting.  
"...Blue." Vincent said, with more determination.

"Very well! I shall give you a some shoes and a blue headband as well." the owned said, obviously happy with her achievements.

Already wearing the blue suit, he stepped out of the fitting room and walked over to the counter with his own clothes under his arm. He paid, and was given a bag for his old clothes and shoes. The lady also gave him the new shoes and the blue headband she mentioned earlier, as well as a leather band. When he looked at her with question on his face, she gave him a smile.

"Your hair would look nice if you pulled it back in a ponytail." she remarked, blinking at him.

As Vincent left, a scowl built on his face. He wore a suit similar to the Turk uniforms, had just put on a blue headband, _and_ had pulled his hair back in a _ponytail._ Having the behind of a pony on the back of his head was disturbing, not to mention painfully nostalgic, as Hojo had done the same thing in the past. Thus, Vincent kept some of his hair loose, letting it hang down in front of his face like before.

His grip on the bag he carried tightened, as he knew very well the motives of many of the people down here. Thieves were everywhere. Choosing a suit had taken longer than he had thought it would; It was already dark outside. The only lights around were the old, colorful lamps that were placed around randomly. Vincent hurried in the direction of Seventh Heaven, hoping Rin would find it safely.

And then he saw a gang of around five men gather around another person. As this 'other person' turned, he barely saw her face. It was Rin. And although she did not look frightened, but rather angry with the thieves around her, Vincent could not help but worry in her place.

With a fearsome determination and a strong scowl, he approached them from behind.

* * *

...

Hi there. I am still here, though my brain is not currently present. Hope you like where the story is going...  
Oh, and no offense to all of the readers who have ponytails... I have a ponytail myself.  
Reviews are truly appreciated, loved, taken care of and hugged.


	10. Onslaught

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

It'll improve your reading experiences if you listen to music while you read... At least that is how I like to do it.

* * *

Onslaught

* * *

Vincent approached with rushed steps, his red gaze on the thieves. He moved a hand into his blue suit and brought out his gun. With a calm look on his face, yet with burning crimson orbs, he made them aware of his presence by pointing his gun straight at them. The first one to notice him narrowed his eyes and pushed the one closest to him in the arm. Then he nodded in Vincent's direction. The others, having seen his nod, turned to see Vincent. 

Rin did as well, but didn't seem to recognize him.

"...A Turk?" one of the men whispered to the others. Vincent loaded his gun, and the men shifted, mumbling to each other.

"What do you want?!" one of them asked.

"...Do you not have more important things to attend to than to assault innocent women?" he asked, his question monotone and controlled.

"Tsch! That's none of your business, Turk!" a thief exclaimed loudly, not entirely unafraid. Vincent moved forward, aiming for the last person that spoke. Though he still carried a bag in his other hand, they were frightened enough to pull back as he came closer. With his gun still pointed on the head of the man, he continued walking until he was right in front of him.

The man didn't move an inch. His face looked more frightened by the second; his eyes were wide and his teeth were clenched, and his breath was ragged. Vincent remained calm, staring into his eyes. His 'comrades' seemed more than willing to run off and leave him behind.

"I am afraid this is very _much_ my business, seeing as I was trusted with her safety not very long ago." he said, his voice dark. In the corner of his eye he saw Rin shift as she recognized him.

"Huh? You _know_ her, do you? You sure you can kill me while she's watching?" the man in front of his gun said, leering, his eyes still wide in terror as he watched the red eyed man. At this comment Vincent moved even closer and placed the opening of his gun on the forehead of the thief. This made him shut up, and he glanced between Vincent and the gun.

"...That would be the easiest task I have had today." Vincent said in a hushed voice, and he could see the blood drain from the face of the man in front of him. The others started moving at this and escaped, obviously not caring the least about what happened to their 'friend' as long as they could save their own skin. The poor thief glanced in their direction as they ran off as he silently wished to do the same. Then he did; First he ducked down, and then he ran as fast he could away from the red-eyed man. Vincent moved the gun back into his blue jacket.

"Vincent...?" Rin asked, and he turned to her. He wondered what she'd say, and silently hoped she would refrain from holding a long speech including the sentence 'do not point your gun at people'.

"Thanks!" she said, taking him by surprise. She gave him an apologetic smile.  
"...Nice suit. It fits you." Rin said, and looked his blue suit over.  
"They thought you were a Turk in it, too. Handy." she added. _Handy? _Was that what she thought?

"Do you think I resemble a Turk as well?" Vincent asked, eyes narrowed. She looked away.  
"Um... A little, perhaps..." she said, flashing him a sheepish smile.  
"...What if I were?" he said, and her smile disappeared as her eyes snapped up to watch him.  
"You...are?" she asked, narrowing her green eyes in suspicion. Vincent looked in the direction the last thief ran off to.

"...I _were._" he stated, then moved his crimson gaze back to her. She seemed to be thinking. Was she mad, perhaps angry?

"Oh... I suppose that makes us even. Both of us have officially worked for Shinra _in the past!_" she said, beaming at him. Was that... all? Did she not have anything else to say than that? He watched her eyes move from his eyes to his blue headband, and then to his hair, which was now in a ponytail. After resting on his hair for a while, her green eyes continued to his jacket, to the spot where he had put his gun.

"Shall we go?" he asked, and Rin looked up at his face. She nodded, and they went back to Seventh Heaven where the others were most likely waiting for them.

--------------------------------------

As the two of them entered the bar, Cid was the first to greet them.

"Heey, lookie here! You guys are just on time!" he exclaimed, and the others turned to them. Rin noticed many new faces, and nodded to them. Then she put down her bag and removed her old jacket. At the same time, Vincent entered.  
He didn't get time to do anything else than to place his bag on the floor before Cid waltzed up to him.

"What in the name of Vodka are you wearing?" he asked, staring at the blue outfit.  
"...I wear nothing in the name of Vodka. I do not believe in Vodka." Vincent said. At this, Cid laughed out loud, and so did the others. Vincent seemed rather uncomfortable, though. When the laughter stopped, Tifa was the first one to speak.

"You look great, Vincent, don't worry about it! And you, too, Rin!" she said, and after she did, the celebration could begin.

Rin felt slightly out of place in there; she didn't know even half of the people in there, nor did she know an awful lot about Avalanche. Tifa served food with the help of little Marlene. Cid on the other hand, served freshly made jokes; Both good, bad and unintentional ones. Cloud sat rather still on a chair, quite stiff in fact, not very comfortable in his black suit. He ended up throwing aside the jacket and un-tucking his shirt. Tifa scolded him slightly for that, but let it pass.

Yuffie, the ninja girl, who wore a beige skirt and a white shirt, stepped up on a chair to get their attention.  
"Attention, friends! _And _Cid!" she started, and they laughed. Cid didn't get it until Barret told him that Yuffie had indirectly said Cid wasn't her friend.  
Rin laughed as Barret explained.

"It's time for the annual staring competition, starring none other than Vincent Valentine! _Don't go, Vincent!_" she said, pointing at Vincent, who stopped abruptly. He had been on his way out. This time no one laughed, and Yuffie narrowed her eyes as she continued speaking in a dramatic tone.  
"Every single year we fail to last, but this time we'll get him! Remember the rules: We're allowed to blink, but not for too long. Vinnie is the only one who can make facial expressions and stuff, because all _we_ have to do is to _endure it._" she said, and the others nodded and mumbled in agreement.

"...It is useless. You will not make it." Vincent said, and they laughed.  
"This time we'll last so long you'll fall asleep!" Cid said in a smart voice, smirking.

And thus, two minutes later, everyone were gathered around Vincent. Yuffie had pulled Rin with her as well, though she had no idea what was going on. Vincent sat in a chair in front of them, and those who wanted to challenge him stepped forward. Among the challengers were Barret, Cid, Tifa and Cloud. That is, until Yuffie came over there as well, pulling Rin with her. Rin watched as Barret sat down in the empty chair in front of Vincent, who looked bored.

"This year I'll make it... Hey, what's the record?" Barret asked.  
"One minute and forty-five seconds." Vincent responded, watching him calmly.  
"...Three, two, one, go!" Cid said, and the staring started. The room was completely silent.

Barret watched Vincent with a strong frown on his face, and his frown only increased when Vincent remained expressionless in front of him. Ten seconds went by, and they were still at it, none of them budging. But just as twenty seconds had passed, Vincent flashed a deep frown. The frown lasted for less than a second, but it was enough to make Barret's eyes fly off him.

"Aw, too bad, daddy! But I bet you would've done much better in a real fight, right?" Marlene said, trying to cheer him up. Rin was in need of some cheering up herself; Seeing that short flash of 'evil Vincent' did _not _help her nerves very much. But she wasn't going to cower out. At least not _yet._

--------------------------------

Vincent watched as Barret walked over to his daughter, not happy about losing so fast. The next one to go was Yuffie. She let go of Rin, who didn't look too happy to be among the contestants, and sat down before him. She grinned confidently, already looking him right in his eyes. Cid counted down and they began.

Rin glanced at the big clock Cid held over his head for everyone to see. Ten seconds... Fifteen... They sat still, Yuffie still looking confident. Vincent looked as bored as before. Twenty seconds. Yuffie's grin faded a little, but remained wide. When twenty-five seconds had passed, Vincent rose an eyebrow and rose his head, looking down on Yuffie. Her grin instantly faded completely, but she kept staring back. Then he lowered his head and frowned deeply.

"Gnh!" she said, shutting her eyes. When she opened them, she looked away.  
"...Stupid, evil Vinnie, you!" she exclaimed, sending him one last glare before she grudgingly rose from the chair and left. Vincent looked over the rest of his opponents, noticing that none of them looked nervous at all. With the sole exception of Rin, who was rather pale.

Next to go was Cid, and while he was at it, the angry Yuffie counted down.  
"Just so you know it: If he wouldn't have worn those stupid clothes, I would've lasted longer! Three! I promise you! Two! One! Step on it, Cid!" she ranted, and the others laughed silently.

Vincent knew he had to go about things differently now that Cid was his opponent. Short glares and expressions would not help much. Vincent lowered his eyelids in a tired fashion. Ten seconds. Cid had a cigarette in his mouth, which obviously helped his confidence. Twenty seconds. Vincent almost closed his eyes, knowing it would look like as if he was about to fall asleep. Knowing he was allowed to blink, but not longer than one second at a time, he blinked slowly several times.  
"What the..." Cid said, losing his concentration as he watched Vincent 'falling asleep'. Vincent pretended to start falling to his side slowly, and his head gradually dropped lower. Never once while doing this did Vincent move his eyes away from his opponent. But Cid was confused. Just as Vincent was about to 'fall' off his chair, Cid averted his eyes to the others for an explanation. When he looked back at his opponent, Vincent sat there on the chair quite normally, as if it all had never happened.

"Forty-one seconds, Cid." Cloud said, and Cid stomped on the floor. When he walked away, he was patted on the back by Barret. Next to go was Tifa. Vincent didn't look forward to this.  
She sat down on the chair with a determined smile on her face and narrowed eyes. He could hear someone whisper something about odds and money. The other contestants were quite calm, and even Rin seemed to be more cheerful after seeing Cid fail. Once again Cid counted down, and then they started. Vincent decided to get this over with effectively.

After keeping his face and eyes as still as stones for thirty painfully long seconds, he suddenly smirked. It wasn't a small smirk, that wouldn't have worked. It was more like a small, wry grin. In addition to that, he widened his eyes. This was more than enough to make not just Tifa, but most of the others on the room wince. Needless to say, Tifa had averted her eyes upon seeing him do that.

"Thirty-two seconds, Tifa! That means I'm better than you! Ha!" Cid exclaimed, grinning. Vincent looked at his two remaining contestants. Cloud had a frown all over his face after seeing how Vincent had made Tifa withdraw. Rin... Rin had looked better. All the color had disappeared from her face, leaving her awfully pale. Her eyebrows were slightly knitted, and her eyes were rather wide, leaving her with a distraught look on her face.

"Enter, Cloud! Make us proud!" Cid said, and Cloud did as he was told.  
"...Hey, that rhymed! Cloud, proud! Proud Cloud... Anyway, three, two, GO!" Cid exclaimed.

This was, in Vincent's opinion, the most boring opponent. The others obviously didn't share his opinion and looked at the two with wide eyes. Vincent knew it wouldn't work to use only facial expressions here. In fact, he could most likely do almost whatever he wanted to do without Cloud paying attention to it. That was why he had lasted so long the other times they had arranged this 'staring competition'.  
In the beginning, he did as he had done with Tifa: Stayed completely calm, his face like that of a statue. Twenty seconds. Cloud did the same. His cold, blue Mako eyes shone brightly. Thirty-eight seconds. Vincent heard more bets being placed on himself and Cloud. Then he got an idea. After one minute passed, he heard much mumbling. He had to stay calm just a little longer, with a bored look on his face. Then, just as they passed one minute and twenty-five seconds, he started. He had a feeling he would regret this later.

He once again smirked, the same smirk he had used against Tifa: A rather wide, lopsided smirk and widened eyes. At the same time he rose his eyebrows and tilted his head backwards, well aware that he most likely resembled a moonstruck lunatic.  
For a second he wondered if it was worth it. But upon seeing the features of Cloud, he knew it was. Cloud looked taken aback, and it didn't take long before he looked away.

"What WAS that? Don't freak us out like that, Vince! I seriously thought I was imagining things here, but then I realized I was sober! Imma freakin' kill ya for that, you!" Cid shouted, pointing at Vincent.  
"...I do hope you all realize I am _not_ mentally unstable." Vincent claimed silently, which eased the mood a lot. Some even laughed.

"Okay... And that said, you did well, Cloud. One minute and thirty-one seconds." Cid said. That was one second more than Rin's record. Judging from how she looked like at the moment, she would be lucky if she lasted for ten seconds.

-----------------------------

Rin stared at the carpet on the floor in front of her. It was an immensely nice carpet; quite soft and clean. She hoped it would swallow her and take her to somewhere far away before-  
"Rin! You there?" Yuffie asked, shaking her shoulders.  
"Can I pass this one, president?" Rin asked. 'President' was just something she said to ease the tension. But Yuffie just grinned.

"Sorry, no giving in! ...But since you look fairly green or white or whatever... Well, why don't we take a break?" Yuffie asked.  
"Thank you, sir!" Rin joked, relieved, and the others laughed heartily. She hoped they didn't think she was going insane. If she could prolong her break long enough, perhaps they'd forget it? Thinking that was a fairly good idea, she decided to delay and postpone as much as she could. Procrastination would help her in her current situation.

Half an hour later there were small competitions going on everywhere in the bar. Some played cards, others tested their strength in arm wrestling. Not everyone stayed sober either. But Tifa made sure none of them had _too_ much to drink, and if they tried, she would give them a rough scolding.

Meanwhile, Rin retreated outside. She sat down on a small chair and rested her arms and head on the small table in front of her. She listened to the faint sound of music from inside. Didn't they ever get tired? She was already about to fall asleep out here.

"May I have a seat?" she heard a dark voice say. Rin rose her head and turned to see Vincent.  
"...Sure. There's the chair, and here's the table, if you'd rather sit on that." she said as she removed her head and arms from the table. She hoped she didn't look _too _tired.  
"I shall have the chair, then." he said, and took a seat across from her.

"How's it going in there?" Rin asked. _Have they forgotten about the staring competition?_  
"...They have a good time, each in their own ways. Yuffie seems to be searching for you." he said, and Rin felt guilty.

"Hm... I suppose eye combat is not really my thing..." she said, frowning a little.  
"Eye combat?" Vincent asked, sounding amused.  
"Haha... Sorry, but it looked like you were attacking the contestants with your eyes in there..." she said, flashing him a sheepish smile.

"But you were just acting, right?" she added, looking at him. He didn't reply.  
"...Right?" she tried again, still watching him for an answer. No response.

Then it occurred to her that they could finish the competition _here._ No bets or audience to raise the tension, and no one who surrounded them, watching them like hawks. Rin wondered if Vincent thought the same. It was rather dark out here as well, and that made his eyes less... intense. Rin but her elbows on the table and supported her head with her hands. Then, smiling, she tried watching his red orbs without looking away.

Meanwhile, Yuffie made her way through the bar between the guests. She had been searching for Rin for quite a while now. If she thought she could get away she was wrong! Then, as she passed a small window, she stopped abruptly. Right there, outside, Rin and Vincent sat staring on each other. Yuffie narrowed her eyes. Had they started the competition again without even letting her know? She couldn't allow that. Yuffie spun around and found the clock Cid had used earlier and returned to the window. There, she started counting seconds.

Outside, Rin was getting increasingly uncomfortable. Her eyes flashed back and forth between his two red ones, and for some seconds she doubted she would be able to hold on for much longer. Then she bent a little closer to him, and to her relief and surprise she saw her reflection in his eyes. This helped her confidence somewhat. After all, staring at yourself is not as frightening as staring into someone else's eyes.

* * *

...  
Sorry if you thought this chapter was rather dull. Or something.  
...Do you believe in Vodka? I sure don't. Hope you at least liked _that_ one. 


	11. Insolence

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. Is it possible to buy the entire thing? How much does it cost?

Sorry for the long wait, I had a small writers block. And I have to admit... I've been very busy... watching... anime... But that is not all! I have also started writing another story. Is that a good excuse? And one more thing: I'm going to rewrite some chapters of this story later to improve them and correct mistakes.

* * *

Insolence

* * *

Vincent observed Rin in silence as she watched him. At first he could not tell why she had started looking at him. But as he noticed her determination, he realized she was most likely trying to continue the staring competition. By finishing it outside, away from the others, she could probably focus better. She bent a little closer and Vincent saw his own reflection in her green eyes. He wondered vaguely if she could see her reflection in his red ones. Did they reflect anything at all? Vincent narrowed his eyes slightly as he gave it some thought. 

They continued to sit in silence, watching each other quietly. While they did, the surroundings seemed to dim by the second. Rin occasionally blinked, but kept gazing at him. Vincent wasn't counting, but it wouldn't surprise him if she had already broken the record. She sat completely still, and as did he.

But then the door opened and a beaming Yuffie ran over to them, making both of them turn to her.

"You broke the record, Rin! You lasted for one minute and fifty seconds!" she exclaimed, grinning. Vincent glanced in Rin's direction. She stared at Yuffie, eyes wide. Then a smile spread on her face and she turned to him with a satisfied grin on her face. She seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. Yuffie, whose grin was even wider than hers, looked over at Vincent. At the moment, he was obviously the calmest person among the three of them. Were they expecting him to say something?

"...Yes!" Rin exclaimed and waved a fist in triumph, much to Vincent's amusement. Why did she do that? It was not a very... _mature_ thing to do. Then again, she had a reason to be as satisfied as she was. He wondered if she would have lasted if he had tried to make some facial expressions. He quickly dismissed the thought, though, as Rin would have lasted much longer if Yuffie hadn't interrupted them. Yuffie reached out a hand and ruffled Rin's hair, and Rin's triumphant gestures changed into defensive moves instead.

"Congrats! ...I dunno if the others will believe this after seeing how nervous you were back there, but that doesn't matter. What _matters _is that you broke the record, and that next year _I'm_ gonna break it for ya!" Yuffie informed while Rin fixed her hair after what Yuffie had done to it. Vincent had yet to say anything, but found he did not need to. The door opened one more time, and Cloud supported a drunk Cid. Cloud looked at them and then down at Cid.

"...He had too much to drink. Tifa asked me to get him back to the airship." he informed, and Yuffie narrowed her eyes in suspicion and approached the two of them.  
"Cid? What did you get yourself into this time? When the beer is in, the wit is out, you old man." she commented, looking at Cid. He rose his head and scowled at her with a frown on his face. Just as he was about to give her a reply, most likely full of curses, Cloud started walking away. Cid muttered some incoherent words under his breath as he was forced to leave without getting to find some fitting words for Yuffie.

"Um, I think I'll go back as well... Can you tell Tifa for me? Say thanks for me. I had a good time." Rin said to Yuffie, who turned to her and flashed a grin.  
"'Course! Lookin' forward to see you again later, then!" Yuffie said. As she walked back inside, she waved one hand lazily.

Rin looked back to Vincent and gave him a smile before getting to her feet. He watched her as she slipped back inside to fetch her things. Then he rose to his feet as well and went inside. He picked up his own bag and nodded farewell to those who looked in his direction. After doing so, he walked back outside and was accompanied by Rin. She walked up next to him and settled there as the two of them walked out of Midgar, heading for the airship.  
It didn't take long before they reached the outskirts of Midgar, and he could just barely see Cloud help Cid get aboard the ship. Vincent and Rin approached and entered after them in silence. After Cloud had helped Cid into the common room, he left with a small nod and a barely audible 'goodbye'. Cid was the first to say something once Cloud had left.

"Man... Grapes are evil things. They make ya feel great when ya drink beer, but the next morning they'll give ya a hangover. Some torture, eh?" he mumbled before he slumped down on the sofa. Rin gave him a sympathetic smile and slowly turned to Vincent.

"Uh... Goodnight. I had a good time. Thank you." she said in a quiet voice not to disturb Cid. Vincent looked down at her with a strange feeling of being content. He had rarely felt this calm.

"...Good night." he said in a deep voice, and was rewarded with a soft smile as Rin turned and walked out of the room. When she opened the door she stumbled in the door frame, much to his amusement. She turned around to check if he had seen her stumble, and upon seeing him watch her, she blushed. Then she turned again and hurriedly walked away. Vincent smirked. Rin seemed like a kind and modest person, but she was also clumsy. She had difficulties hiding her facial expressions as well, but that fit her, albeit in a somewhat strange way.

At first, she had reminded him of Yuffie and her carelessness. But she was also kinder than most of the people he had met. Why she was like that, Vincent had yet to find out.

--------------------------

Rin woke up the next day because something seemed wrong. The engines of the airship were on and the airship itself moved liked a boat in a storm. She hurried out of bed and got dressed, and then opened her door. With difficulties she started making her way to the control room in which the pilot would be. Was Cid controlling the ship? Wasn't he drunk yesterday? He ought to have a severe hangover right now. Rin glanced out a small window as she passed, and saw that they were above the ocean. The ship swayed some more, and she continued to her destination. Once she got there, she spotted three people. Cid was steering, and a frowning Yuffie shouted at him.

"What'cha think you're doing?! You're gonna kill us all!" Yuffie shouted, and Cid turned to her with a deep, displeased frown on his face.

"I'm the boss here! I'm _not _drunk, and I'm perfectly capable of runnin' this machine! But if you keep shoutin' like that, I _will _lose control. The wrath of the grapes has given me a huge hangover, and if _you_ won't shut up, my head's gonna explode. That leaves you all with no captain!" he replied in a hushed way, yet still loud enough to increase his headache. Yuffie scowled at him while holding on to whatever there was to hold onto, her face looking rather green. The other person in the room was Vincent. He looked as calm as ever, despite a barely visible frown.

"...Did you remember the fuel?" Vincent asked, and for a moment the airship calmed down. Cid paled upon hearing that question, and didn't answer, just stared ahead. Rin's eyes widened, and she looked at the others. Yuffie's scowl faded as she realized the answer of Vincent's question. She couldn't say a thing. Rin stared ahead. In front of the airship, the ocean spread out in all directions. The only piece of land she could see was far away, a spot in the distance.

"Will we... Um... We will make it, right?" she asked, and Cid threw a glance over his shoulder. Then he scratched his head and turned back to the controls.  
"...Yeah... But I'm not sure if they sell fuel over there. Costa del Sol is just a huge resort with sun and tanning all year. I doubt any of them would bother selling fuel, of all things." Cid mumbled, mostly to himself. Despite his bad mood, Yuffie gave a loud sigh of relief and dropped to the floor.

"At least we'll make it there..." she muttered. Her motion sickness obviously didn't go easy on her. Rin was as relieved as her, and trusted Cid to bring them there safely. After all, there wasn't much she could do to help them arrive there. Thus, she made her way over to Yuffie and sat down next to her.  
To their delight it didn't take long before they arrived. The airship made some disturbing sounds, but that was all. After landing, Yuffie got to her feet with renewed energy and an angry frown on her face.

"I am _never _going to enter this airship when you're drunk, you!" she snarled, once again scowling at Cid.  
"...Really? If that's the case, I'll consider takin' a small drink every time I'm aboard. Perhaps that'll keep you away!" he countered loudly, but stopped as his hangover took hold of him again. Yuffie snorted and left. Rin, Cid and Vincent were left behind in silence, and Rin waited for Cid's headache to fade somewhat.

"So... What now?" she asked, looking first at Cid, then Vincent. Their eyes met, and and she turned away, unable to hold back a small smile. Cid groaned and let go of his head.  
"I'll go look for some fuel. You guys go do whatever ya wanna do." Cid said and left them. Rin rose to her feet and dusted her clothes slightly before turning to Vincent again. He remained silent, as if waiting for her to speak. Rin shifted and tried to come up with something.

"...I think I'll go around and have a look at the town." she concluded after thinking a little. Vincent gave a nod, and Rin left as well. While wondering what Vincent would do, she exited the airship and entered the sunny town. It was small, but there were many people there. Most of them wore bathing suits or shorts. Rin could tell why.

It was scorching hot, and there wasn't a single cloud to be seen. The warmth made its way through all her clothes and forced her into the shadows of the houses. The others were unaffected by the weather and kept doing whatever they usually did in this place. Some walked around with tempting water bottles, others were sprawled on the ground trying to tan themselves. Then a woman came over to her with something in her arms.

"Hello there! You look rather warm. Am I right?" she asked, and Rin smiled sheepishly. The woman tried to sell her some lighter clothes, but Rin declined politely. She already had some, although not here. After the woman left, Rin went back to the airship and searched for some better clothes in her bag. She found some long red shorts, as well as a white top. That would do; She wasn't planning to go swimming, she just needed to rid herself of her black jacket and warm clothes. After getting dressed, she once again left the airship, barefoot this time. Upon entering Costa del Sol again, the warmth was less unbearable, and didn't bother her as much.

Satisfied with her choice of clothes she made her way to the beach. The others there had much less clothes, or at least smaller garments than her. She didn't care much about that, though, and found a spot on the beach which wasn't occupied. Without paying attention to the others she lay down in the sand and just relaxed. The sun stung her eyes, so she tilted her head to the side. On the other side of the beach a rather large crowd of people had gathered around something. Or someone. Rin narrowed her eyes and rose her head in a futile attempt to see what or who the people were gathering around.

As she couldn't see a thing, she gave it up and dismissed it. She lowered her head to the sand again and closed her eyes to protect them from the shiny sun. The mumbling from the small crowd reached her ears, and she heard a couple of words. The words 'Rufus Shinra' and 'President Rufus' were repeated more than once, which didn't really help on her mood. Was the president of Shinra here? Rin turned her head away and opened her eyes again. There were no one left on this side of the beach, only her. She was fine with that.

Upon seeing a volleyball not too far away, her eyes narrowed as her mind started forming a plan. She couldn't help but smirk. Rin wasn't a person who did a lot of mischief, but how often did anyone get a chance to pull a prank on one of the most powerful persons on the Planet?

Rin sat up and reached for the ball, and then got to her feet. With an increasingly large smirk on her face, she kicked the volleyball in the direction of the crowd. It landed in the middle where she couldn't see it, but as she heard some surprised cries, she grinned and ran away. She ran along the beach and glanced back just in time to see the crowd spread. In the middle was a rather displeased Rufus Shinra. He had spilled his drink all over himself, obviously because of a certain ball. With a grin Rin looked ahead again, but glanced back one more time to see the man starting to follow her.

Her grin faded somewhat as she realized he was most likely not as lazy as his father had been. Rufus probably trained regularly. Rin on the other hand, didn't really do that too often.

"Hey!" she heard, and once again glanced over her shoulder to see him coming closer. She jerked to her right and ran away from the beach, running through some leafy bushes on her way. After running for an amount of time, she was back in the town. Costa del Sol was almost empty now, as all the people seemed to have gone to the beach to see the president of Shinra.

Rin inwardly thanked herself for wearing these light clothes, as heavier clothes would have slowed her down considerably. But unfortunately for her, Rufus also wore similar garments. He only wore shorts, as well as sandals. And _he _was lucky enough to have _good _stamina. Rin didn't.

"Wait, you!" she heard, and spun around. She stopped, and as did he. Both of them were breathing, but her breath was far more ragged, and she tried to hide it as best she could.  
"Why did you do that." the man demanded, and narrowed his eyes as he watched her.  
"I... felt like it." she mumbled. _You deserved it._ Rufus smirked, his eyes still narrowed.

"...Hn. You must be the only one here that doesn't look up to me like as if i were something supernatural." he said in an arrogant voice, making Rin rise her head and face him. He was far too self-observed in her opinion. Or at least that was how he sounded.

"Pardon me, _Sir_, but I have to go."she said in a nonchalant way before turning to leave. She didn't want to be close to him for any longer than necessary. For all she knew, his arrogance could be contagious. She left with determined steps, not once regretting kicking the volleyball. For the rest of her life she would be able to tell the people she met that she had once made President Rufus Shinra spill his drink on himself. That was most certainly something worth mentioning.

Her train of thoughts was disturbed as she felt a tight grip on her shoulder as someone forced her around. Rufus grabbed both of her arms. Rin, surprised by this turn of events, jerked her arms out of his grip and backed away. He followed and once again tried to grab her upper arms. Rin attempted to run off, but he was fast enough to get hold of her and pushed her to the nearest wall.

"...Never turn your back to an enemy. Especially if he has yet to finish what he wants to say." Rufus said, frowning while observing her. In a swift movement, Rin tried to kick him. But being as fast and trained as he obviously was, he evaded her hit, though with minor difficulties.  
"Oh? All I wanted was for you to listen. You're forcing me." he said, and moved his legs between hers. This was definitely something Rin did not like, and looked at him in shock.  
"So you won't kick me again." he informed, his voice dark and hushed.

"_Apologize._" he ordered in a whisper and bent closer to her. Rin frowned deeply. He was disturbingly close to her, and he knew she didn't like it.

"...I'll scream." she warned him, and he stopped. After some long seconds, he pulled back slowly and let go of her with a displeased expression on his face. She looked at him, aware that she most likely looked distraught. She swallowed and tried to regain her composure.  
"My humble apologies for causing you discomfort, President." she said, her voice shaky, but her face now showing nothing but determination. His mouth twitched upon hearing the apology he had wanted to hear.

While still watching him, Rin walked away and moved through the gate of Costa del Sol. Once outside, she turned forward and ran back to the airship.  
She entered the common room and found a glass of water, and drunk it all at once and left the glass next to the sink.

"You seem distraught." a low voice said, and she jerked around to stand face-to-face with Vincent.

"...Yeah. I met someone I don't like on the beach." she said, attempting to smile. She must have failed miserably, because Vincent narrowed his eyes.  
"Who?" he asked simply, and Rin looked down, ashamed and satisfied at the same time.

"Rufus. I kicked a ball at him, and then he spilled his drink all over himself..." she said, and then tracked off. She didn't look up at him.  
"...Rufus... How... How did he react?" Vincent asked in a hushed voice, making Rin look up at him.  
"Uh... He made me apologize..?" she answered, feeling awkward. A sheepish smile wouldn't help her much. Vincent eyed her, searching for the full answer of his question. Rin wondered what he would say if she told him everything. He would probably be angry, so she decided not to. After all, she was still alive and well, and undamaged.

"How." Vincent demanded. Rin's eyes widened slightly, and she shifted uncomfortably.

"...Imma go take a shower!" she exclaimed, painfully aware how obvious that was. She flashed him an unusually sheepish smile and pointed in the direction of the bathroom as she walked away. She had never felt more stupid. She was eternally grateful he didn't try to stop her.  
-----------------------------  
Vincent watched the distraught Rin as she left him behind in the common room. She had met with Rufus? It wasn't unusual that the president of Shinra took some days off in Costa del Sol. But it was less usual for someone to kick a ball at him and get away with it. Rin had obviously not told him all there was to know, but at the time being there was nothing to do about that. Cid had yet to come back from his mission, and had called Vincent to say he had gone south to North Corel. They sold fuel there, and he'd be back tomorrow with as much as he could carry. There would be plenty of time to ask Rin what had happened before he returned.

Or perhaps he could ask Rufus.

That was a plan. He could pretend to know what had happened, and get Rufus to spill it himself. Then again, the man was not another one of the Shinra guards. He was stronger. Vincent sat down on one of the bar stools and considered his options. Even after finding out what had happened, what could he do about it? After giving it some thought, he decided to ask Rin later. If she didn't answer, he would 'ask' Rufus.

* * *

...  
Rufus _is _arrogant. That's the impression I have, at least. 


	12. Violator

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters. But like many others, I wish I did.  
Note 1: I'll be rewriting some old chapters every now and then...  
Note 2: In this story, Rufus Shinra is the bad guy. (No offence, really, I actually like that guy. But I have no Sephiroth to send at them, because he is -in theory- dead.) So... Rufus is kind of the 'bad guy' here. The 'womanizer'. Again: No offence...  
Sorry-for-angst. (if you don't like it, that is...)

* * *

Violator

* * *

Vincent kept waiting for Rin to come back to the common room after taking a shower, but she didn't come. As it was already getting late, he guessed she had gone to her room. He would most likely not get to ask her about what had happened with Rufus and her. At least not today, that is. Therefore, he settled in the common room. Sleep was something he usually didn't need, and he doubted he would fall asleep tonight even if he tried. As darkness ensued, he watched the barely lit scenery through the windows from his position on the sofa absently. He didn't really register anything from outside other than that it looked peaceful and quiet. 

He and Rin had the entire airship for themselves, and Cid would return tomorrow with some gas. Vincent wondered if the man would be able to carry enough of it back from North Corel. If he was lucky (or if he swore enough) perhaps someone would let him borrow a truck, or at the very least drive him back here.

Vincent closed his eyes and waited. He could almost feel the time pass faster like that. First, only seconds passed. Then he started thinking. Vague memories of the past made time pass faster, and minutes fled by. He moved from the old memories and over to the newer ones, from the day Cloud and the other members of Avalanche found him. The memories faded after Sephiroth was defeated, and he only barely remembered how nostalgic it had been when he returned to the Shinra mansion. Then he recalled his first meeting with Rin. He hadn't been too polite back then, believing she worked for Shinra.

Then Chaos had injured her. He didn't remember that, but knew it had happened. The memories of that particular event were very clear compared to the others. But Avalanche had come to the rescue and taken her aboard the airship. Vincent had wanted to stay in Nibelheim, but Tifa had insisted that he stayed with Rin until she woke up. Even now he wondered if that had been a smart thing to do. The events on the Northern continent were still fresh in his mind. Then Cid brought them to Midgar. All of these things had happened in a short amount of time, but they had left so many memories that half of his mind was filled with them. The other half of his memories were clear, yet vague compared to his new ones.

It was only normal. At least so he thought. After all, these things had happened in the recent past. But even so they had yet to fade from his mind even a little. Then again, he hadn't really tried to suppress them.

Vincent continued to let these thoughts enter and exit his mind as time kept passing. Before he could do anything else, the sun stung his eyes as it appeared just above the few clouds in the sky. His eyelids didn't help much, and he turned away from the light. To his surprise, he was not alone.

Rin tip-toed quietly from one shelf to another, searching for something. She wore the same clothes she had yesterday: Red shorts and a white tank top. If she searched for food she would be disappointed. There was no food here. Cid or Yuffie had probably eaten the last bits. Rin froze as her stomach gave a quiet growl, and she hit it in an attempt to make it stop. It only growled louder, and Rin turned to see if he was still sleeping. He wasn't, obviously. She shifted and visibly relaxed as there was no longer any reason for her to try and be quiet.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" she asked, her silent voice clear.  
"...I was not asleep." he replied, barely audible. Rin rose her eyebrows slightly upon hearing this, and averted her eyes from him and turned to the refrigerator. As she opened it, the only thing inside was beer. Lots of it. Her shoulders slumped in a perplex manner.

"I'm not going to have that for breakfast. I'll go buy something." she mumbled, and closed the refrigerator door. She flashed him a whole-hearted smile and left the room. The room turned much warmer those last few seconds before she exited. Whether it was because of the sun, he did not know. What he _did _know was that he now had a chance to find out what happened yesterday.

Still wearing his black clothes and red cloak, he followed Rin out into the sun. She didn't know, and he wasn't sure if he should let her know either. For now he would just follow her and see if Rufus would appear. Rin walked barefoot all the way to Costa del Sol, not bothering to hurry. But once she was in the town she glanced around before going any farther. She didn't look back, and didn't spot Vincent. This was almost boring already. But just almost.

He waited outside while she entered a small shop. As she came out, she held one heavy bag in each of her arms. Where did she get that much money? Did she keep her Gil in the pockets of her shorts? Unwise, considering the fact that it made her an easy target for potential robbers.  
As if on cue, none other than Rufus strode over to her. When she spotted him, she frowned. Then she walked away from him, in the direction of the airship, trying to ignore him. Vincent didn't let them see him.

"Hello there, you." Rufus said, having no difficulties catching up with her. She flashed him a scowl but didn't answer him.

"...Didn't catch your name yesterday." he said, not trying ti hide his obvious leer. When she didn't even glance in his direction, he moved up in front of her and walked backwards while eyeing her. Vincent could see her grip tighten on the bags she held. Then Rufus slowed down bit by bit, and stopped completely. Because he was in front of her, Rin stopped as well. She moved to her right to go past him, but he stepped sideways to prevent her from doing so. When she stopped again, he smirked. Vincent narrowed his eyes.

Rufus approached her and she dropped her bags to the sandy ground, which made him stop for a second. But then he rose his arms and cupped her chin with his hands. She tilted her head up and back, avoiding his light grip. Then she did something Vincent could never have foreseen. She smirked and closed the gap between them, and stopped dangerously close to Rufus.

"...Rin." she said, and Vincent frowned. What was she doing? Rufus didn't seem to mind this change of events, and gave her a small, yet lustful grin. Rin's eyes narrowed as she moved even closer. Rufus leered and let his arms slide around her waist. Rin rose a hand and caressed his cheek.

Then she slapped him. Very hard.

He jerked away, and Rin bent down and scooped up her bags. Vincent observed with wide eyes as she started jogging away, the bags in hand. He felt himself breathe again, as if he hadn't been breathing the last minute. He would never forget that scene. He had thought she was giving in to him. That slap was something he was relieved to see, at the very least.

That is, until Rufus frowned deeply and ran after her. Rin glanced over her shoulder and increased her speed. It was a futile attempt: The bags were too heavy. Vincent emerged from his position in the shadows and approached fast from behind. He had a fairly long way to go to catch up with them, and hoped Rin would let go of the bags. She did, and they fell down to the ground, cushioned by the sand. Vincent barely registered that nothing fell out.

Rin increased her speed and didn't look back. By now she was halfway to the airship. Though she was fast, Rufus was faster. As he got closer he reached out an arm and barely touched her shoulder. Upon feeling his touch, she stopped dead and jerked to her side, with one foot out. Rufus stumbled as he hit her foot, and then fell to the ground. Breathing heavily, Rin was about to start running to the airship again. She was stopped as Rufus grabbed her ankle.

"Slapping others is not a very polite thing to do, _Rin._" he said in a snarl and pulled her leg, making her fall. Vincent, still not very close to the two, increased his speed as he saw Rufus hold her down. The man locked her arms with his hands while resting his elbows on each side of her. Her legs were still free, and she kicked him hard. He grunted as she hit him, but didn't let go. Vincent was now closing in, more infuriated by the second. His fury peaked as Rufus prevented her from kicking him by moving between her thighs. That was _rape._ Rin gave a helpless sound between her breaths as Rufus tightened his grip on her every time she tried wiggling out. He lowered his head and grazed her neck.

That was the last thing he did to her.

Vincent's cold golden claw tightened around his neck, which made him freeze. Then Vincent hoisted him up like that, while Rufus' hands moved to open his clawed hand. Vincent forced him to turn around by turning his claws. In the corner of an eye he saw Rin shift and move into a sitting position. Her wide eyes stared at the two men next to her. Rufus glared at Vincent as he recognized him.

"You..." he breathed, still tugging at the clawed hand around his neck. Vincent let go.  
"Do you not have better things to attend to than this?" Vincent demanded, his voice dangerously low. Rin moved to her feet, still breathing heavily. Vincent gave a barely visible nod in the direction of the airship. She hesitated, but turned around and left, still visibly troubled. She should have told him about this.

-----------------------------------------------------

As Rin entered the airship she was shivering. She should never have tried outmatching Rufus; she should have known better. But she never knew he would go that far. It had looked to her as though he just fooled around. After moving to the common room, she pulled her feet up and hugged her legs while waiting for Vincent. He would probably scold her for being that foolish. She knew she should have told him what happened. Besides, it was her fault for kicking that ball at Rufus in the first place. The more she thought of it, the more guilty she felt. Vincent had looked _really _angry out there. For all she knew, half of that anger was meant for her.

Upon hearing Vincent entering the room, she dug her face as deep into her knees as possible, waiting for him to speak. When she heard nothing, she rose her head just enough to see him sit down on the opposite end of the sofa. He still said nothing. She lowered her face again.

"I-I know I should have told you what happened yesterday, and I shouldn't have kicked that volleyball at all! ...I'm sorry!" she forced herself to say. He didn't say anything.  
"I underestimated him... That was a mistake..." she continued. He still didn't reply.  
"...Thanks for saving me... I..." Rin managed, but then her voice failed.

"How far did he go yesterday." Vincent demanded. Rin winced upon hearing his dark voice. Though he already couldn't see her face, she turned away in an attempt to distance herself.  
"...He... forced me to the wall... Then I said I would scream if... if he didn't let go..." she started, barely audible.  
"And then he let go, and I ran away. He didn't follow me yesterday, so I thought he wouldn't do it today either..." she finished. The entire situation was so embarrassing that she had no idea what else to do than sit completely still. She heard Vincent shift. She braced herself for the harsh words she believed would come.

"...I liked the way you slapped him." she heard him say. Surprised, she glanced at him. He was smirking. She blinked, eyes wide.

"And I decided to try it myself. Not a slap, of course." Vincent said, looking absently at his clawed hand. It was slightly dented in some areas.  
"So I punched him." he completed, and turned to Rin. Those dents on his clawed hand looked rather bad, and she found herself wondering whether Vincent had killed Rufus.  
"I didn't kill him, but I ended up dragging him back to Costa del Sol. His guards picked him up. Personally, I had more important thins to attend to. Like bringing your shopping bags to safety." he informed, and Rin looked around until she spotted her bags. Then she turned back to him. She wanted to thank him, but was speechless.

"...You should avoid Costa del Sol until the president leaves." he suggested, and Rin kept staring. At loss of words, she bent over to him and did the only thing she could do to thank him without speaking: She gave him a hug. As she did, he stiffened, but didn't push her away.

"Thank you, again..." she mumbled, her words muffled as she spoke to his shoulder. She felt him relax, but he still didn't move. When she pulled back, a smile on her face, he looked at her with red orbs slightly larger than normal. Then she realized that Vincent probably wasn't the kind of man others would hug. But before she started feeling awkward about it, her stomach growled and she frowned. She looked down to her stomach, and then up to Vincent, who smirked.

"Ah... Are you... as hungry as I am?" she tried, which caused his smirk to widen just a little.

"...I am." he answered.

-----------------------------------------------

A little later, Vincent watched Rin place a plate of food in front of him. It looked delicious, to say the least. The lasagna was perfectly made, and looked good. The two of them ate in silence, and Rin glanced in his direction every now and then, most likely to see if he liked it. He did. In fact, he doubted he had had that much to eat ever before; He filled his plate more than just once. And the few times their eyes met, the food seemed to taste even better. When they were nearly done eating, the door opened and a dirty Cid came inside.

"What the- Here I drag my ass halfway through the continent and fight fiends and climb mountains to get some gas, and I come back ta see you two all comfy! I got a lift back here, but-... Ah, damn it all... Gimme some o' that food!" Cid said and hurried over to one of the shelves. There he found a plate and walked over to the two of them. Vincent watched Rin as she filled Cid's plate with lasagna and allowed himself to become annoyed when the man sat down between him and Rin. He smelled of dust, smoke and sweat.

"You make this on yer own?" Cid asked while scrutinizing the food in front of him.  
"I used the recipe on the back of the package..." she replied, watching her own food. Her plate was nearly empty. Cid arched his eyebrows and nodded at her response, and started eating. He took big mouthfuls at a time, filling his mouth even more when he still wasn't done chewing. Observing him was the only thing Vincent and Rin could do as Cid swallowed and filled his mouth once more. In the corner of an eye, Vincent saw Rin smile.

"Glad you like it." she said, satisfied.  
"Mhm..." Cid replied, chewing and swallowing almost consecutively. He ended up eating the rest of the lasagna, and after he was done he stretched back and groaned, one hand on his stomach.

"...I've never been this... this full..." he mumbled, tapping his stomach lightly. Rin flashed him and Vincent a wide smile and she rose to her feet. Then she did the dishes. She finished fairly fast and put the food she had bought into the empty shelves and the refrigerator. Though she was quick, Cid was already fast asleep on the coach when she was done. Vincent had moved to one of the nearby chairs, which were less comfortable than the worn-out old sofa. Vincent, annoyed, moved his gaze from the snoring Cid and over to Rin as she approached him, and his eyes softened.

She rose a hand to her hair and combed through it with a displeased frown on her face.

"...I still have sand in my hair..." she explained when he searched her eyes for an explanation. He recalled the image of Rin, pinned to the sandy ground by Rufus. The hands of Rufus had nothing to do on her at all, whatsoever. Though that man was strong, Vincent had made sure earlier that he would leave her alone in the future. But as he doubted he could trust Rufus, he wasn't about to become as naïve as to let Rin go to Costa del Sol alone again. Not at all.

He joined her and they walked out if the common room. His room was across from hers, which he didn't mind. It was better than living next to the noisy Yuffie or the loud, sometimes swearing Cid. Rin was usually kind, except for that case with Rufus, that is. Vincent caught himself watching her, and moved his gaze to the hall in front of them. Once they were in front of their rooms, Rin turned to him with an expectant look on her face.

"Do you know if there's a poster of Rufus on the airship?" she asked, and Vincent frowned.  
"And are there arrows aboard, too?" she added, still looking hopeful. Then he realized what she meant.  
"...Are you by any chance planning to throw arrows at said poster?" he asked, amused. She flashed him an apologetic grin, but didn't really seem to be sorry. Vincent smirked.

"I do not know. But if you find said items, do tell me. We can have a competition." he said, uttering the last words rather absently. Rin pointed at him, touching one of the buckles on his red cloak.  
"...But not before I've drawn a moustache on his face. This time we know for sure he's not around to do whatever he wants to afterwards." she declared and gave him a determined, yet genuine smile. To be completely honest, Vincent doubted there was a poster of Rufus on the ship. And if there were, Yuffie had probably already drawn make-up, moustache, clown glasses and wigs on all of them, in different colors. But that didn't matter. What mattered was, as she said, that Rufus couldn't reach them here.

He gazed at the hand that pointed at him. Then he gave a short nod. Her hand withdrew slowly, and her smile faded a little. But it didn't disappear.

"I bid you good night." she said, suddenly solemn. She put on an overly solemn face while saying so, and reached out to shake his hand. He waited a little before obliging, and took her hand. Then she put her other hand on top of their two ones and shook his hand gently. Then she bowed slightly, still acting solemn. When her eyes met his again, he bowed slightly as well. This action was rewarded with a hearty smile from Rin, and her green orbs gazed at his red ones for some long seconds. When she let go of his hand it was left cold, colder than his other hand.

She turned to her door, opened it and went inside, then closed it very carefully not to make any unnecessary noise. Once the door was closed, the hall seemed strangely empty. Vincent turned slowly to look down the hall, wondering whether something was missing. Pictures, lights, rugs... He couldn't recall seeing any of them here, and dismissed the matter with slight difficulties. After glancing one last time at her door he turned to his own room. After entering it he sat down on his bed without turning on any lights. The door closed quietly on its own, and Vincent closed his eyes. This situation was all too familiar.

It was like meeting Lucrecia all over again.

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...  
If you didn't like how Rufus turned out, check out the beginning of the chapter?  
...Your reviews are my food. I eat them and they shape my stories. (-is hungry-) 


	13. Devotion

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is not my possession, but it still possesses me from time to time.

Note: I'll keep rewriting some old chapters every now and then... Perhaps on my oldest stories too.  
YES! Chapter 13. I love that number. Of some strange reason.  
Thank you so incredibly much for the reviews, they warm my heart! Really!

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Devotion

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Rin stared at her empty plate in the common room. It wasn't particularly interesting, but even so she kept staring. Everything that had happened since she arrived in Nibelheim went through a thorough analysis in her head, which took some time. She had gotten many new friends and was grateful. It seemed unreal at times, but she knew it wasn't. Rin smiled. But only seconds later, she was interrupted by a face right in front of her. It was a rather sceptical Cid, whose narrowed eyes looked at her in wonder. 

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, narrowing his eyes even more. Her eyes widened and she pulled back slightly.

"Uh, sorry, I was just thinking." she explained. At this, a grin slowly widened on his face. He looked as though he had just found some juicy gossip. Though he didn't look like a gossiper, she had heard from Yuffie that Cid had a 'loose mouth'. He said whatever he wanted to, when and where he wanted to say it. He was apparently much worse when he was drunk.

"Thinkin', eh?" he asked, mischievous. Rin looked at him, clueless.  
"...About Vince?" he tried, and at this, she blushed bright red.  
"No, I was-" she started, but got cut off.

"Let me tell ya somethin'. If ya like Vincy-boy, you're in for some tough competition." he said, and sat down next to her on the red sofa._Competition?_ Rin didn't say anything, just watched Cid as he lit a cigar and put it into his mouth.  
"I've seen a picture of that woman, Lu-, Lucres-, Lucrat-, somethin' like that. One heck of a beauty, that. No wonder Vincent fell for her, if ya ask me." Cid said. Rin averted her eyes to her plate. A woman? A lady whose beauty had made Vincent Valentine fall for her? Rin knitted her eyebrows a little, confused. How come no one had told her about her before?

"Where is Vince, anyway? He's always here when I get up. Makes me wonder whether he sleeps at all, ya know?" Cid commented, and glanced in the direction of the clock on the wall.  
"What the- Past noon? And here I thought it was just ten in the morning..." he muttered, and with a rather displeased frown on his face he got up and left. Shortly thereafter she barely registered the engines of the airship start, and then felt the ship rise into the air.

That woman he spoke of, where was she? And who? Rin frowned upon realizing Vincent could be _married _ for all she knew. She should have known better than to rely on him for every little thing; Now he probably thought of her as a bother who kept him away from the one he truly loved, someone that kept delaying his meeting with the woman whose name started with an 'L'. Without her noticing it, her mood must have worsened; Suddenly her forehead was so close to her plate that she thanked herself silently for having eaten all her food already. A depressed feeling filled her, and she doubted it would leave any time soon.

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Upon entering the common room Vincent felt as though he walked through something akin to a barrier. Once inside, the atmosphere was so heavy he wondered if Cid had downed all his alcohol and then realized there was nothing left. Therefore, he was surprised to find that Rin was the only person in the room. He approached her slowly, intentionally shuffling his feet so she would hear him. She looked up, and he was pleased to find that her face looked normal. But she still seemed down.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, and was rewarded with a half-hearted smile. It didn't fit her.  
"Not really... I'm just... down..." she answered, as though tired of everything.  
"...And why is that?" he tried, but she just closed her eyes and lowered her head again. At this, he sat down next to her. A faint smell of smoke indicated that Cid had probably been there before him. He already had a bad feeling about this.

"Say, Vincent..." Rin started, hesitating. Vincent listened closely, but it looked like she changed her mind before speaking.

"Can you read minds?" she asked, turning to him. Vincent blinked.  
"Yuffie said she thought you could." she mumbled. He was glad this was the opinion of Yuffie, and not something Rin had come up with on her own, but it was still somewhat amusing.

"...I cannot. That would have been a useful ability, though. ...But Yuffie does not really need to know that." he answered, and earned a smile from her that was a little more genuine than the one before it. But then she turned away and her smile faded again. Her troubled look bothered him. He watched her intently, as if it would make her spill what was wrong. Then she took a deep breath and then turned to him very slowly.

"Are you married?" she asked. Vincent arched a brow in surprise.  
"...You spoke with Cid, didn't you." he replied. Her face reddened somewhat.

"Actually,_he_ spoke to _me._ And he spoke _to_me, not really _with_me..." she said, tracking off. Vincent made a mental note to throw away Cid's beverages later. He had yet to find out exactly what he had told Rin, but he would most certainly find out. And he would also correct things. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and sighed, then opened them again and rose his head to look into her eyes while speaking.

"...I am not married. Lucrecia is long gone." he said. Her name felt strange to say, it had been a long time since he had. But that didn't mean he didn't think of her. But she was becoming a memory.  
"Lucrecia..?" she asked, and he gave a short nod.  
"More than thirty years ago, she left me for another. They were both scientists." he explained. Rin apparently didn't quite know how to respond to that, because she blinked and searched his features for any sign of emotion. Then she knitted her eyebrows and looked down.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.  
"Don't be. It is not your fault." he muttered. Then she frowned.

"But... Thirty years..?" she asked, confused, and looked back to him again. To explain that to her, he would have to tell her more than just one or two details. He doubted she would like it if he only told her he was used in an experiment. She would most likely keep asking about Lucrecia, albeit with considerable interludes in between. And being in Avalanche, she would eventually find out the story anyway, be it from Cid, or from the others. He would rather tell her himself. Thus, he started carefully, speaking slowly in a low voice.

"...Hojo, the man with whom Lucrecia was expecting a child, cared for nothing but his work. I tried to stop Lucrecia from obliging with his wishes, but she did not want that. Hojo... He nearly killed me for trying to stop her." he started, and Rin watched him without making any signs of wanting to interrupt.  
"Then I was used in experiments myself... And that resulted in Chaos. Afterwards I was put in a coffin. Cloud and his team found me thirty years later." he continued, and her eyes widened. Though he had simplified his story, he had still told her what was most important.

"The child of Hojo and Lucrecia... Experiments were committed on him while he was still in her womb. Ever since birth, Lucrecia was not allowed to see him. He was told his mother was Jenova. And he was named Sephiroth." Vincent finished, and Rin's eyes widened upon hearing the name of the antagonist who had been devastating the Planet for such a long time before being defeated. If Vincent would just have tried harder, the Planet and the people on it wouldn't have needed to suffer as much as they already had. Then again, another one would just have taken the place of Sephiroth, just delaying the inevitable.

"Um..." Rin mumbled and looked away, not quite knowing what to say. After some long seconds she turned back to him with a very small, yet genuine smile.

"Thanks for telling me." she said. He had hoped she wouldn't hate him for the things he had said, but was honestly taken aback by the fact that she actually seemed _thankful._ Him telling her those things was a sign of trust, but he had still expected her to be disappointed in him. But she was grateful instead. And in turn, he was too. And instead of feeling uneasy after telling her, he found himself content instead.

--------------------------------

The fact that Vincent had told her that story meant far more to her than he probably thought it did. It was as though he trusted her, at least so she thought, and she truly appreciated it. And she had learned a couple of things she had never known before. Like the fact that Lucrecia was Sephiroth's mother. Rin watched Vincent, and was, in turn, observed by him. But there was one thing that still bothered her. Did he still love her? Had his feelings for Lucrecia lasted since then, and would they continue to last? If she were to judge from the impression she had, that was the case. He most likely didn't have any room for Rin.

"Say... Where are we going now?" she asked in a quiet voice, wondering whether or not they were going back to Nibelheim. If that was where they were going, what would she do next? Leave or go? Vincent looked away while answering.

"...I think you have to ask Cid about that." he answered, barely audible.

Some minutes later Rin was in the control room in which Cid kept himself occupied. Upon noticing her he grinned, his cigar still in his mouth. She returned the grin, although hers was not as wide.  
"I just wondered where we're going next." she said, and walked over to him. He rubbed the back of his head with one hand and turned forward.

"I've got some errands ta do. I'll be visitin' the Weapon Dealer's house to deliver some wares and stuff. Then I'll bring some goods from him to Gongaga. That's all." Cid informed, and Rin nodded some times, thinking. What would she do in the meantime? And what would she do afterwards? She left the control room after thanking Cid for his information, and headed to the common room again.

Vincent was still there, sitting where she had left him. Rin didn't want to disturb him, so she walked over to the kitchen area of the room. There she found some of the things she had bought and started making muffins. She glanced in Vincent's direction occasionally, but he was looking out of the window at the scenery as the airship passed the mountains. Only after she brought the newly baked muffins out of the oven did he turn to her. The sweet scent of the muffins smelled good even to her, so she hoped they would _taste_good as well. Before she could offer any to Vincent he was standing right next to her, which surprised her. She stepped back a little and his gaze moved from the newly baked muffins to her.

"May I?" he asked, and Rin blinked several times.

"Yeah... But they're warm. Be careful, or you'll burn yourself." she warned. He didn't seem to care very much, and took a muffin in his hand. He brought it to his face and smelled it, and then took a bite. Warm steam erupted from the muffin after he took a bite, but he remained oblivious to that and lowered his head so his mouth was hidden behind the brim of his cloak and she couldn't see while he chewed. She waited in anticipation as he ate the rest of the steaming warm, yet small muffin, and then he turned to her again.

"...Not bad. On the contrary, in fact." he commented. Then he took one, two, _three_ more and walked over to the sofa and sat down. Rin, wide-eyed, suddenly felt very pleased with her decision of making so many of them. The muffins were obviously good. She vaguely wondered what would have happened if she _wouldn't_have used a recipe. If she would've tried that, Vincent's face would be either green or blue by now. But it wasn't, which was good. Allowing herself to grin, she grabbed a whole bunch of muffins herself and walked over to the sofa as well.

But before getting there she noticed that the muffins were incredibly warm, and seemed to only get warmer. Feeling this, she increased her speed and ran the last short distance. Then she dropped the muffins to the table, happy that it was empty and clean. She shook her hands to cool them down and slumped down to the sofa. She watched the muffins in front of her in annoyance while waiting for them to cool down. But then one vanished.

Or, it didn't _vanish_, but she was very sure she saw a flash of gold before it disappeared. She jerked around just in time to see Vincent lower his head enough to hide his mouth behind his red cloak. And his golden claw lowered.

"You!" Rin exclaimed, with widening eyes, but she couldn't keep her smile at bay. Before he could take another muffin she grabbed one herself and put it in her mouth. And though it was very warm, it was also quite good. Yet another muffin vanished from the table, and she hurried to swallow her own. Then she took another one and started chewing. Before she knew it, it had turned into an eating contest.

When the table no longer held any muffins, Rin jumped to her feet and ran over to the other muffins. Her teeth were probably full of muffin remains by then, but even so, she couldn't hold back her toothy grin. She took a new muffin and put it into her mouth, and then grabbed another one, ready to eat it once she swallowed the first one. By now Vincent was next to her, looking down to her with a stern look on his face. He then grabbed the tray, which was filled with muffins, and rose it into the air.

Every now and then he grabbed a muffin and ate it himself, keeping his face serious and hiding his mouth while eating. Rin reached up but didn't manage to get close enough at all. If she tried to use a chair he would definitely step out of her reach.

But just as he was about to put yet another small muffin in his mouth, Rin reached up and pulled down the brim of his red cloak. That way he would either have to chew his food while she watched him with large eyes, or he would have to surrender the muffin tray to her. While holding the tray above his head and a muffin in his other hand, he observed her. Then he smirked, and Rin narrowed her eyes slightly. He put the single muffin back onto the tray and put his own free hand on top of hers. Then he rose it slowly, until the edge of his cloak was back where it was supposed to be.

"Thank you for the food. It was enjoyable." he said, smirking while watching her. Still holding her hand, he lowered the tray and put it on the desk. Rin didn't quite know what to do. She could reach for the muffins now if she wanted to, but found she was completely and utterly full. It wouldn't surprise her if she would have an aching stomach later. Then again, just standing there and doing nothing after fighting with him made no sense either. Confused, she looked into his red eyes, frozen flames as they were. To him, Rin probably wasn't at all as interesting to him as he was to her. At least so she thought. But even so, he kept watching her.

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Vincent watched her jade-like green eyes in amusement when they widened in confusion. With his hand still holding hers, which still held around the brim of his cloak, both of them had a free hand each. He half expected her to flash her a sheepish grin or at least smile, but she just looked at him, seemingly without knowing what to do. Vincent would most certainly not grin in her place, that was for sure. In the end he settled for something between a smirk and a smile; He tilted the corners of his mouth up slightly, resulting in what probably looked like a smirk including both corners of his mouth instead of just one.

He was rewarded as her eyes widened and she blinked. Her eyes flashed back and forth between his own, and then she finally gave him a lopsided smile. When his own small smile didn't falter, her smile only widened, revealing teeth with just a very small trace of muffins. This amused him, and he made sure he didn't show his own teeth. She hurriedly used her free hand to cover her mouth while blushing, but still didn't manage to stop herself from smiling. When she turned back to him, her mouth was closed again.

Suddenly aware of how close they were, Vincent let go of her hand. Not fast, though, but rather hesitatingly instead. After he let go, she eased her grip on his cloak and then moved her hand away slowly. The brim of his cloak went back to its assigned place in front of his mouth, concealing his vague smile.

Then they were disturbed as the door burst open and a frowning Cid entered, his cigar no longer in his mouth. Vincent narrowed his eyes as he saw him. The airship didn't move. When had they landed? He hadn't noticed the landing at all.

"What the heck is that dang smell?! I could smell it all the way to the cockpit! How could ya _not_come and give some o' that ta _me_?!" Cid ranted, and strode over to them. He grabbed a muffin and put it in his mouth, unaware of what he had walked in on. While eating, he gestured to the window and pointed outside.  
"We're 'ere. Weap'n deal'r. Imma go speak with 'im.." he mumbled loudly, his mouth full of muffin. Then he grabbed some more muffins before leaving. As he was about to exit, he turned to them and swallowed before talking again.

"Imma deal with it here. But when we get to Gongaga later, I'll leave it to you to deliver the stuff. Fine?" he asked. When none of them answered, Vincent sileet and Rin just looking at him, he gave a sharp nod and left while putting yet another muffin into his mouth.

Rin flashed Vincent one last smile before turning to clean up the things she had used to make the muffins. Vincent was glad that he had let go of her hand before Cid arrived, but would have been more pleased if he hadn't showed up at all. What would have happened if he and Rin were to watch each other for longer than they already had? Vincent eyed the muffins that remained. There were still many. Though he was already full, he couldn't help but take one last muffin. He didn't bother hiding his mouth behind the brim of his cloak this time, even when Rin turned to him while cleaning the cup she held.

He chewed the muffin nonchalantly and wondered whether he looked normal or just silly. Rin averted her green gaze to the cup she held, and Vincent watched her smile a little as she did. It pleased him. So while she cleaned up, he put the muffins on an ordinary plate and put the worn-out tray away. The two of them worked in peaceful silence, both content.  
Throwing one last glance in her direction, Vincent did not fail to see the unwavering faint smile on her lips.

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...  
They're getting somewhere!  
...But now I'm hungry. I need reviews. And muffins. 


	14. Outing

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

This chapter's dedicated to aik sachcha ruh, or Tory if you like! Thank you so much for your truly encouraging (and entertaining) reviews! That counts for all of you others as well!

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Outing

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After a fair amount of time, Cid threw Vincent, Rin and a whole load of wares off the airship. Then he told them to bring it to Gongaga, which was nearby. The two of them were currently watching the boxes and chests surrounding them. There were some larger than others, while most of them were small. Rin carefully picked the some of the smaller boxes and put three on top of each other. Vincent chose two, but they were larger. Though Cid thought they couldn't see him, which was true, they still knew he was probably on the deck of his airship. Smoking his cigar. But even so, they didn't mind. After all, Cid had taken care of getting the wares aboard earlier. It was only reasonable to make the two of them deliver the rest of the wares to their rightful owners. 

With the three boxes nicely places in her arms, Rin peeked out from behind them in order to see where she walked. Vincent didn't have that problem; He carried one large chest in each hand, holding them by their ropes. Rin made a face when she realized she probably looked much less... _elegant._ Whether or not that word would be considered a compliment by Vincent, she did not know.

"Which way?" she asked, looking at him sideways, the boxes in hand, each on top of the other.

"...That way." he answered, nodding in said direction. Rin started walking, moving her head a little to her right so she would see the road. Vincent walked behind her, and she couldn't help but think he was just waiting for her to lose one of the boxes. But she wasn't _that_clumsy. In fact, she managed just fine. When they arrived in Gongaga she just continued into the small town until she was in the middle of it.

It was a fairly small town, and the people looked peaceful and kind. But she couldn't tell if they were for sure, not before she had spoken with them. Vincent continued past her, and this time it was her turn to follow him.

"We are supposed to leave it all outside of the new Inn..." Vincent informed, and placed his two boxes on the ground next to a rather large building. Rin did the same, although with slight difficulties. Then the two of the returned to the rest of the wares and brought back more. They also exchanged some words with the people who lived there. After several times of going back and forth, they finally placed the final chests next to the others. By then it was already getting late. Rin sighed deeply and supported herself on the wall of the house.

"So... Do we get paid?" she asked jokingly.  
"Cid said he had already been paid for the wares." Vincent answered, and Rin smiled.  
"What the- What are _you _here for?" a voice asked, and they turned to see a red-headed man in a uniform. He had goggles on his forehead and looked fairly annoyed while watching Vincent. Vincent didn't reply, but only stared back. Was Rin missing something? Who was that man?

"Um..." she started, searching for something to say. The two men turned their heads to her. The red-headed man turned his scowl into a wry grin upon seeing her.  
"...Reno! Reno of the Turks!" the man informed. The Turks? Hadn't Vincent been a member there before? Rin just watched him, expecting him to say something else. When he didn't, and just continued grinning, Rin turned to Vincent. He looked calm, but kept an eye on the Turk in front of them. Then someone else came from behind, another man in the same kind of suit as Reno.

The silent, stoic man approached them with a faint frown on his face and cleared his voice quietly. Reno jerked around, and the newly arrived man adjusted his sunglasses before speaking.

"...Reno. We have to go." he said, his voice business-like, yet as stoic as he looked.  
"Eh? This soon? What're you babbling about, Rude?" Reno asked, sounding disappointed. Without any other words, the man named Rude left. Reno had no choice but to follow. Rin didn't get it at all.

"Are they working for Shinra?" she asked, still watching the two men that walked away from them.

"...Yes." Vincent answered, and she turned to him. His red gaze told her nothing, betrayed none of his thoughts. She couldn't read his eyes at all. Did he look at her on purpose, or did he just watch her by chance? Rin mentally frowned as she wondered whether he thought of Lucrecia. Be it now or any other time, she knew he probably thought of her a lot. She couldn't blame him. Was Lucrecia still alive? After all, it had been thirty years since those things happened to Vincent.

But with Sephiroth in her womb, being injected with cells of Jenova, could she have been affected as well? She could still be alive, not having aged at all since back then. As a result of all the experiments. Rin flashed Vincent half a smile and started walking away. He walked after her, and then settled next to her. If he truly loved Lucrecia, even now, she wouldn't disturb him. She would leave him in peace.

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Vincent caught a glimpse of Rin as she lowered her head next to him. She didn't seem to be particularly pleased. But she also looked as though she didn't really want to talk about it. An indiscernible frown appeared on his face. The two of them kept walking, eventually coming closer to the airship. However, before they arrived, they were stopped by the two Turks. Or rather, their wide path was blocked by only Reno, while Rude watched from behind him. But Rin and Vincent stopped nonetheless.

"...Yo. Didn't catch your name, miss..?" Reno started, watching Rin intently, eyes slightly narrowed and a lopsided grin on his face. His hands were in his pockets, which left him almost completely unguarded. Foolish, in Vincent's opinion.  
"Rin." Rin answered absentmindedly, looking in another direction.  
"Rin, eh? You know, Rin and Reno... Those two names sound similar, don't you think?" Reno said, and his grin grew slightly. In the background, Rude adjusted his sunglasses, trying to ignore his colleague. Vincent didn't like that comment at all.

"What are you two doing here." Vincent demanded in a silent voice, getting the attention of the two men.

"Bah... We're just checkin' out the old Mako reactor that's here. But it's broken, so that's not interesting. There's not much to do when Avalanche is as calm as it is." Reno said carelessly, once again focusing on Rin. What was it about Rin that caught the attention of other men? Vincent vaguely wondered if Tifa had the same problem. But then again, perhaps it was just him and Rin being unlucky. People did not usually get to meet the womanizers of Shinra every other day or so. In order, even. First the boss, then a Turk.

"Have we met before?" Reno tried. Rin looked right into his eyes.  
"Nope." she answered, and Vincent held back a smirk.

"Ouch...But even when hearing you say so, I can't help but think I've seen you somewhere..." Reno commented, bringing a hand to his chin while thinking. Rude walked up to him and said something in a hushed voice.  
"Oh! You're the Costa del Sol woman! You beat the crap outta' Rufus!" Reno exclaimed, and this caught her attention.

"...Actually,_I _was the one who_'beat the crap outta' _Rufus." Vincent informed, gesturing a little with his clawed hand, which was still dented from his wordless discussion with Rufus. Reno didn't see his claw, but Rude noticed it. His frown deepened.

"You did? Are you gonna try that with us too?" Reno asked, and a mischievous grin appeared in his face. Then he brought out a stun baton from inside his jacket.  
Vincent didn't move.

"No. You are not worth a fight. No offense." Vincent answered, which made Reno's face turn into an incredulous one, and he stared in disbelief at him.  
"...Back at you, ex-Turk! _You _ain't worth fighting, but Rin_... She's _worth fighting for." Reno said, nodding in Rin's direction while smirking. Vincent would have commented if it hadn't been for what Rin did.

She slowly walked up to Reno while looking in another direction, and hesitatingly brought a hand to the stun baton in his hand. Her touch was very gentle, but even so, Reno lightened his grip on his weapon and let her take it. She brought it closer to her face and observed it with half closed eyes, yet in an interested way. Then she aimed for Reno, who immediately shielded himself with his arms. But she didn't hit him. She threw the weapon with all her might in the opposite direction of the airship. Reno lowered his arms and stared. First at Rin, then in the direction of his stun baton. Then back at Rin.

Then he started running towards his weapon, which was by far out of sight, but then stopped one more time.

"You_will _pay for that!" he exclaimed, then started running away again. By now, Rin looked as though she felt slightly guilty, but she had a small smirk on her lips nonetheless. Rude nodded to the two of them, then left with his colleague. And while the two Turks were busy searching the bushes for Reno's weapon, Rin and Vincent returned to the airship.

They found Cid in the cockpit, which smelled of smoke. He was reading a magazine of some sort, and barely rose his head when they entered.

"...I suggest we leave. The Turks are nearby." Vincent said, and Cid barely rose an eyebrow at that.  
"Do we have to leave because of _that?_ They're no threat." Cid said in a lazy voice, then flipped a switch next to him.

"There. All locked. No leavin', no enterin'. The airship is safe." he concluded after locking the ship. Then he started reading the magazine again, not paying attention to them. Vincent turned around. Rin wasn't there. His insides sunk when he came to think of the possibilities of her being outside, so he hurried into the halls of the airship. He was there just in time to see the door to Rin's room close after she entered. Relieved, Vincent stopped.

Knowing she was still aboard, he then went to the common room. There he kept an eye on the windows just in case the Turks would show up. In reality, he doubted they would. Rude would most likely take Reno away with him, back to the Shinra headquarters. But what else could he do? There wasn't really too much to do in an airship.

He averted his gaze from the windows to the table, where a book was placed. It looked old and rather ragged, and there was only one word on it: _Journal. _Journal? Since when did they have that? He couldn't remember Cid buying one, much less writing in one, that was for sure. Curious, he opened the book and leafed through it until he found the last entry that had been written. There was no date.

_I learned quite a lot today, about Vincent. And about Sephiroth, too. I won't write about it in detail, though, because I doubt I'll forget it. I may write it later, though... Anyway, I doubt I'll be able to act normally around Vincent again after what I know now. Truth be told, I like him. But he is still fond of Lucrecia. But I wonder... Is she still alive? I just hope I can still be his friend. Without making him feel as though he is letting her down, I mean._

_It still hurts, though._

Vincent shut the book, wearing a frown and lowered eyebrows as his dark gaze scrutinized the cover of the book. This belonged to Rin. She must have left it there on the table before Cid made them do his work for him. Rin had written that she liked him. That was what the book said. But she tried to hold back because of Lucrecia. Vincent's eyes narrowed as his memories with Lucrecia brushed his through mind. He had truly loved her. And he knew she lived. They had last met on the journey of Avalanche, in a cave behind a waterfall. Back then she had avoided him, afraid to hurt him like she had done before. Her message seemed so clear back then: Without speaking, she had told him to live his life without regret. To let go.

Then she had sealed herself away in a prison of Mako, her intentions clear: She would never return again.

_..."It still hurts, though."_

Was Rin hurt? Because she tried to distance herself from him?

Vincent let his hand slide across the cover of the book, watching it with almost closed eyes. Lucrecia was still in his heart, she would always be. But she was not the only one. Not any more. And he wanted Rin to know that. He pulled back his hand and let his eyes rest on the book while thinking, searching for proper words.

--------------------------------

Rin opened the door to the common room. She had left her journal here earlier, and hoped no one had found it. Upon seeing that the common room was empty, she gave a quiet sigh in relief and walked silently to the table. There, her book was waiting for her. She picked up the small journal and turned around to take it back to her room.

But as she turned, the first thing she saw was an all too familiar chest. The buckles of the red cloak were so close she was afraid she would crash into him, and jerked backwards. Clutching her book, she looked up. Vincent gazed down, and Rin wondered if he had been there all along. Had he read her journal? As that thought crossed her mind, a faint red blush caressed her cheeks and she couldn't look at him at all. If he had read even just a few pages, he would most certainly be able to tell what she felt about him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again as she didn't know what to say. The awkward silence was so heavy she couldn't even rise her head. In the end she just walked past him. But she was stopped as he took hold of her arm. This made her look straight at him. As she saw his eyes were different from before, she blinked and knitted her eyebrows. He held her eyes with his own, not looking away once.

"...Lucrecia... still lives. But she has locked herself away. In a prison of Mako." he said in a silent voice, and Rin averted her eyes.

"She will never come back." she heard him add in a low voice. Rin didn't move, nor did she watch him. He had read her journal. Rin pulled her arm out of his grip and hurried to the door, frightened. But she was once again stopped as his arms wrapped around her from behind in an embrace, and she froze completely. His clawed hand rested lightly against one of her arms, while the other hand rested on her opposite arm, both of his arms wrapped around her gently. Rin felt some of the buckles of his cloak on her back, and stopped breathing as she felt a breath of his run down her neck.

"...My memories of her will stay. But I have let her go." he finished in a whisper. Rin slowly turned her head just enough to see his slightly tilted one, and was surprised to find that _he_was the one who had turned away this time. His eyes were almost closed. As her mind worked out the words he had said, Rin watched him with wide eyes. He... had let go of Lucrecia? But he still remembered. That was good, in a way. Rin had no intentions of taking over someone else's place. At least not completely.

She loosened her grip on her journal and moved a hesitating hand to his arm and let it rest there. For some long moments they just stood there, taking in each others presence. But their moment stopped as they heard Cid cursing outside of the door. Vincent let go and Rin pulled back, and by the time Cid came into the room, they looked as though they had just been standing there talking. But Rin wouldn't be surprised if she had a royally clear red color in her face. Luckily for her, Cid didn't notice.

"I don't have any cigars left! It's all empty, dammit!" he exclaimed with a deep frown and wide eyes. His face looked remarkably empty, as though something was missing. In his case, that would be a cigar. Rin threw a short glance at Vincent, and then looked back to Cid. Was the captain used to appear when he shouldn't?  
"And it's too damn late ta fly somewhere and buy new ones, it's too dark outside!" he continued, waving his arms and walking around with long steps. Then he jerked around and scowled at them.  
"Imma go back home ta Rocket Town ta get some new ones tomorrow. I'll drop ya off in Nibelheim when we pass it." he informed, then nodded at his own decision. But as if he suddenly realized Vincent and Rin had yet to say a thing at all, he narrowed his eyes and looked at them in suspicion. When they still didn't say anything, he arched an eyebrow.

"Whaaat? Sumthin' wrong?" he asked, moving his scrutinizing gaze to Vincent, who rose his head slightly at that.  
"No. On the contrary." he remarked, earning a confused face from Cid. Rin's face on the other hand, turned even redder than before, and her grip on her journal tightened.

"...I bid thee good-night." Vincent said, giving a short nod to Cid, then to Rin. After saying that, he left them. Cid moved his eyes to Rin, even more confused.  
"What the heck does _'thee'_ mean?" he asked, increasingly annoyed. Rin flashed him a sheepish smile and laughed. Then Cid shook his head in exasperation and turned to walk over to the small kitchen area in the room.

"I_need_a cigar. Soon." he said, mostly to himself. When he said no more, nor paid any particular attention to her, Rin left the common room. She found the hall remarkably nice while walking to her room. Much lighter than usual in a way. She knew all too well why, and let a small smile caress her lips as she entered her room. Before going to bed, she opened her book and found a new pen from her bag, as she had left the other pen somewhere else.

Then she wrote another entry in her diary. She didn't bother being too careful with her words this time.

_Just me again here. I just wanted to say... that if you read my diary again, I'll keep writing only messages like this one here._

* * *

...  
I always come up with something to say here, but keep forgetting it every time before I get to the end of the chapter... I should write it down somewhere...  
I have to be _really_careful when I write the word "airship", because half of the time it turns out wrong. So I end up writing _'airsip'_ and _'airhip'._ Cid probably wouldn't mind the latter. 


	15. Hindrance

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any of those small and nifty post-it notes.

Note for last chapter: Vincent actually thought that the diary was Cid's journal and that it contained information on the journeys of Avalanche. But still! Even after he obviously found out that it belonged to Rin, he didn't manage to stop... Hm.  
Reviews will be used to fuel the truck-sized candy-floss machine I have under my pillow. Which, in turn, will fuel my urge to write. Let us hope the amount of sugar will not waste my brain.

* * *

Hindrance

* * *

Cid was in an exceptionally bad mood. Not only didn't he have any spare cigars, he also couldn't drink any liquid containing alcohol before or during flight. This made him swear boisterously every time the airship did an unpredicted movement in the strong wind. Rin and Vincent were with him, but there wasn't exactly much they could do but stand there and wait. The weather was getting increasingly bad, and it only worsened as they went north. 

"Heck! The ship's gonna crash at this rate! There's no way I'll be able to land without damaging it, dammit!" Cid exclaimed, making a rough turn to the right.  
"Is the rain a problem?" Vincent asked.  
"Not the_rain!_ The _wind!_What'cha think this ships is made of? Paper? The rain ain't a problem! But wind _and _rain makes it hard to control this thing!" Cid shouted, miraculously without cursing a single time.

"...What do you suggest?" Vincent asked, and Rin looked at the frustrated Cid as he tried to compose himself.

"That we go around it all. The weather's probably an effing lot better around Rocket Town. Imma go there right now, dammit, and get a well-earned cigar! Holy!" Cid ranted, and continued moving the ship to the right. Rin wouldn't be surprised if the chairs and tables in the ship were all over the place by now. Cid was a good captain and good at maneuvering the airship, but that didn't mean that the things and the furniture in the ship would stay on their designated spots all the way.

"Imma get ya back ta Nibelheim once the weather's calmed down. Tsch." Cid informed.

After some hours of flying around the large clouds, and also making their way through parts of the storm, Cid lowered the ship to the ground a little north of Rocket Town. The wind was fairly strong even here, but at least they managed to land without causing damage to the ship. Rin vaguely wondered how bad Yuffie's motion sickness would have been if she had joined them. Remembering the last time she got sick, Rin doubted Yuffie would have felt too good after _this _ride.

Cid, Vincent and Rin exited the airship, all of them quiet while watching the dark clouds above them.

"Damn weather-forecasts. Always wrong when ya need 'em ta be right." he commented, then slammed the door.  
"...What the heck?" he exclaimed, and Rin and Vincent turned to him just in time to see him remove a yellow post-it note from the door. Then he brought it up to his face and tried reading it.

"...It's all watery, I can't read it. Stupid childish handwriting. Probably some prank." he muttered, and Vincent took the note from him. Rin watched him try to read it, but he narrowed his eyes and handed it to her. Her attempt at reading it was futile. The rain had washed away the words and left small patches of ink. But it could be important, so Rin tucked it into the pocket of her jacket for later. For all they knew, it could be from those Shinra Turks they had met the day before.

"Perhaps Shera can help us with it." she suggested.  
"Yeah, whatever ya want." Cid said and hurried towards the town. Vincent and Rin followed him to his house, where he kicked the door open.

"Tea! Cigars! Now!" he demanded, and Rin blinked a few times. Was that behavior normal? It wasn't very polite. A woman in a lab coat walked into the room and smiled upon seeing the three of them. Then she turned to Cid and her expression changed a little.  
"What did you say?" she asked him, and his shoulders lowered slightly.

"I mean... Ya got any cigars and some tea?" he asked, his voice strained and his face annoyed. Shera flashed him a genuine smile and nodded.

Some time later, tea was served and the entire house smelled of Cid's cigar. He looked exceptionally pleased and was grinning. He tilted the chair and had one leg on the table, and held his cup of tea in one hand while holding a cigar case in the other. Vincent sat in a more normal way, and Rin tried her best to imitate Shera, who looked quite peaceful where she sat. Cid handled most of the talking, but the others came with comments every now and then. After a while, Rin found the small post-it note and put it on the table, which caught the attention of the others.

"Yeah, Shera, perhaps ya'll be able to see what that thing says. It was stuck ta the airship door." Cid explained when Shera looked at the note with a confused expression. She put her cup of tea on her plate and grabbed the small piece of paper.

"Well, this isn't really my specialty... But I can try." she said. In less than a minute, she found a magnifying glass and various other objects that Rin had no idea what was. She had seen them before, at least some of them, but didn't know what they were used for. Shera looked quite calm about it all and wrote down what she found out. The small, nearly unidentifiable ink spots were deciphered, letter by letter. It didn't really take that long, and Shera used hardly any of the strange-looking devices.

"That was fairly easy... It's just a number." she said, and held out the paper with her own handwriting. Cid made no sign of wanting it, his hands were occupied, and Vincent didn't move. Rin accepted it and read out a number. Not one number was mentioned twice.

"Six, seven, three, zero, one, two, four, eight, nine, five." she said. It didn't tell her much.

"Some kind of special phone number?" Cid asked, and put down the cigar box. Then he found his phone from a pocket. Rin repeated the number, and he pressed the buttons as she spoke. Still having his cigar in his mouth, he held the phone to his ear. He frowned as someone probably answered the call, and put his phone on speaker.

"-knew you'd call!" a familiar voice said. None of them answered.  
"Uh... Who is this?" the same voice asked, and Cid placed the phone on the table.  
"This is Cap'n Cid. Why the heck did you paste that ugly paper note on my ship?" he demanded.

"Huh? Then, where's that girl?" the voice asked. Rin could tell it was the red-haired man from yesterday, Reno the Turk, was it?  
"Reno, stop it." another voice said from the phone. From the way he sounded, it was probably Rude. Apparently Cid wasn't the only one who had a speaker function. Rin wondered just how many were in the other end of the phone.

"...We require fatal information that you happen to possess, and it would be preferable that you cooperate in order for this to take as short time as possible." a third voice said, dark and foreign.  
"Tseng? You still alive?" Cid asked, not entirely interested. Was Tseng a Turk as well?

"Define 'fatal information'." Vincent said, and Rin looked from Cid to Vincent. What could Avalanche know that Shinra didn't?

"Is that girl with you? The Rin person?" a female voice asked, and Rin's eyes widened as three pairs of eyes focused on her. What did_she_have to do with anything? She shifted uncomfortably, making her chair creak. No one said anything.  
"Is she?" the impatient voice said again.  
"Elena, be patient." Tseng ordered, and she obliged.

"Rin's here. Why?" Shera asked, and Cid flashed her an angry look. She quickly moved a hand to her mouth, realizing she probably shouldn't have said what she had.

"...Good." Tseng said. Rin frowned. What now? Were they going to send her to prison or something for what she had done to Rufus? Was it really that serious of her to kick a ball at him? Wait, had she kicked it or had she thrown it? It could have been an accident. That was a good argument. And _he_was the one who commenced and intensified the assaults. But he was Rufus Shinra, he could twist and turn those events to his liking and defend himself.

"What did I do now?" Rin asked, confused and uneasy. That question was quite odd, when she came to think of it. But she couldn't exactly take it back. Cid arched an eyebrow, but turned to watch the phone again.  
"Nothing. Did I hear Vincent Valentine earlier?" Tseng asked.

"Yes. ...Why?" Vincent replied. This was just getting stranger and stranger by the minute.  
"What'cha want? Tell us, or we'll hang up. This is getting' boring." Cid said. For him, this conversation lacked the mentioning of airships and cigars.

"You have the genes of Chaos. They only work because you have a unique genetic pattern. Am I mistaken? You are able to transform into other creatures." Tseng said. Rin turned to Vincent, whose eyebrows were knitted slightly. He looked as though he was trying to work out something.  
"Hojo tried to inject the same cells into others as well, using the same method he used on you. But none showed the same results." Tseng continued.

"And you are telling us this because..?" Vincent asked. This was going nowhere. At that very moment, the phone started crackling. The weather was starting to take its toll now. The lights in the house flashed. Rin vaguely wondered how the Shinra mansion looked right now. Were the doors still broken? They most likely were.

"Though the other experiments did not result in the ability to transform, about half of them have attributes that resemble yours. Meaning they are unable to age, like you." Tseng informed. Rin froze. Vincent didn't age? For a short moment, a distorting wish of wanting to be among one of those experiments entered her. But was that what she wanted? Rin glanced at Vincent, whose eyes were dark. Cid was also remarkably quiet, and looked away. Shera fiddled with the spoon and her cup of tea. This was clearly a matter that hadn't been spoken of much. And it probably shouldn't be mentioned.

"What about them?" Vincent asked silently.

"They have been monitored daily. Some have already died, others are ill. Only two show no signs of change. Rin happens to be one of them." Tseng said.  
Rin felt herself go numb and her color drain from her face. She stared at the phone on the table. In the corner of an eye she saw Vincent pull back slightly. Shera had let out a small gasp. Cid said nothing, but she guessed he was frowning. If this was some sort of sick joke, they had better say so.

"We are telling you this merely because you should know your situation. If your condition worsens, you should know what is the cause As I mentioned, some have already died, and the other experiments have yet to recover from their illness. I see no reason why Rin should not be one of them." Tseng said.  
"...But I'm not ill." Rin said, mostly to convince herself. She failed.

"If you are n-ot ill, you wi-ll _become_ ill. Which - -s wh- -" Tseng said, but then the signal broke. The storm was obviously the cause. Then the phone started beeping, signalizing the end of the conversation.

"...Damn." Cid said in a quiet voice. Then the lights went out.  
"What the heck?" he said, and the only thing visible was the faint glow from his cigar. Rin vaguely heard Shera get to her feet and saw her open the curtains. It didn't help much.

"I'm not letting you go back to the airship in this weather. I'll prepare some beds here for you." Shera informed.

Never before had Rin felt this numb. First she had been shocked to find that Vincent couldn't age. She guessed she should have known, considering he had been sleeping for thirty years without ageing. Then Tseng said she was one of the experiments that did not age. That also took her completely off guard. And even so, she had been relieved. That meant she and Vincent were a little bit alike. But then Tseng said that illness was inevitable for the experiments. And that the illness would most likely cause her death sooner or later. She and one other person had yet to become ill. Who was that other person? How long did they have?

Rin flashed an ironic smile to no one in particular in the darkness. She had thought that the experiments made on her were small, insignificant.  
They had even let her go. Why?

Then she frowned and stood up. She had been just fine until now. There was no reason for everything to change. She still wasn't ill, nor sick. With those thoughts in mind, she used her hands to navigate and moved out of the room. The white lab coat that Shera wore was the only thing she could see clearly, and she followed her. The two of them helped each other with some mattresses and sheets, none of them speaking. Rin didn't have her bag, but that didn't matter. Shera offered to lend her the things she needed.

"...Vincent, Cid, there are two mattresses in the hall. If you don't mind, can you sleep in the living room?" Shera suggested.

"Wha-" Cid started.  
"Yes." Vincent interrupted, able to read the current situation. Rin was glad he did, she would never have been able to sleep in the same room as him after the conversation earlier. Shera knew that as well. Cid would have to deal with it.

So after organizing themselves, Rin lay down on her mattress next to Shera's bed and pulled the quilt around her.  
"...I'll do no good thinking about it. Goodnight, now." Shera said in a quiet voice.  
"I know. Goodnight." Rin mumbled, already in deep thought. More than anything, she wished Tseng would have completed that sentence. She just wondered what he tried to say before the storm took its toll. And why did the _Turks_call them about that? Why not some scientist? Was Hojo still alive?

The more questions she came up with, the more confused she got. And Tseng said that the experiments were monitored. Was she being watched as well? How?

--------------------------------

The next morning greeted them with sunny weather and no rain at all. But the absence of clouds and the cheerful sound of birds chirping did not help the mood a lot. Shera tried her best to stay normal, and Cid obviously felt out of place. The atmosphere was unbearable. Vincent could see that Rin tried her best to act as though nothing had happened, but it was not easy. There was still no sign of disease. At one point during breakfast, she coughed. Not a cough caused by disease, but merely because she hadn't chewed her crisp bread properly.

Nonetheless, she caught an unnecessary amount of unwanted attention as a result of that, and had to explain thoroughly that she wasn't ill.

Earlier that morning, when Vincent woke up, he didn't remember the happenings from the day before. But after three seconds of thinking and then realizing where he was and why he was there, Vincent recalled the information they had all been presented with the day before.

Later that afternoon, Cid offered to take them back to Nibelheim. Vincent glanced in Rin's direction, expecting her to answer. She looked as though she wasn't entirely sure, but thanked yes anyway. That was another thing that had yet to be discussed: What would she do once they were in Nibelheim? Would she take her sword back and leave, or would she stay? There was also a possibility that she would clean the mess that Chaos had left behind, and then leave afterwards. That did not appeal to him. But what she chose remained to be seen.

Then there was her... _condition._She was not ill, not yet. What should they do if she got ill? Disease was not a familiar thing to him, he couldn't recall it ever happening to him. Then again, he usually ignored his health altogether. For him, health was nothing to worry about. His immune system was stronger than that of the others by far. He was not sure what to do if, or when, illness overcame Rin. But before that happened, he would detain and delay it as much as possible.

And if the Turks, or Shinra in general, would contact them again... That also remained to be seen.

Rin had no powers, like his own, that made her able to transform. She just had some of the same genes as Vincent, which prevented her from ageing. But they didn't make her immortal. Even so, Rin tried her best to be cheerful and happy all the way back to Nibelheim.

Cid dropped them off right outside the town, and the two of them wandered into the town towards the old mansion. Though the houses were all old and not very sturdy, they were all intact. Not even one window was broken. Despite the huge ponds covering most of the place, the town looked as though nothing had happened. Where there were no ponds, there was dirty mud. As they approached the old mansion, the first thing they saw was the open gate. Then they spotted the broken doors and the opening left by them.

The image of Rin in that dark red pond flashed in front of him as they walked into the garden. He looked down to the ground and was relieved to find no more blood there. Not that he thought it would still be there, after all, it had been quite a while since that happened.

The two of them continued in silence into the house. The large chandelier was still in pieces in the main hall, shattered. They avoided the pieces of glass and passed the broken chandelier. The rain and wind had caused quite a mess, and various furniture and some of the pictures were scattered all over the place. Vincent watched Rin as her shoulders lowered in disappointment. He turned to watch the stairs and knitted his eyebrows in distaste when he saw the dark patches there. They were no longer red, but rather rusty brown, dry and dark. But they still didn't look any better. At least he couldn't feel the faint smell of metal. The blood was too old for that.

The questions were: Would Rin stay? And if she did, would he let her do all the cleaning?

* * *

...  
I bet you(and Vincent, too, for that matter) knows the answers to both of the questions. 

Aaand... It takes hours and hours to write one chapter. I use most of my weekends to update this, and I really hope you enjoy it. That said, it'll take you _minutes,_ or perhaps only seconds, to write a review. But that review, from_you,_can still mean a whopping lot to me. No matter how short it is. :)


	16. Farewell

_Dis_claimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. This is just a fan-fiction story, written by me for other fans.

I should prepare for school instead of writing this... Haha :)  
I love the title of this chapter. It can be misinterpreted, though...

* * *

Farewell

* * *

Despite the heavy raining and wind the day before, the mansion was not at all cold. The ovens were still on and hadn't been turned off even once since Rin turned them on when she first came there. The sun outside shone brightly through the clean windows, its light warm and comfortable. Rin had used most of the day to walk around the mansion slowly, putting paintings and old pictures back where they belonged. That wasn't really hard work, and Vincent didn't stop her. He had already taken care of the large chandelier and thrown it away. The shattered glass was gone as well.

The marks on the wall left by the claws of Chaos and Rin's sword would only look worse if they tried fixing them. It would have to wait. They had plenty of time to do something about it, to repaint or rebuild completely. Unless Rin got ill.

Vincent had disappeared into the basement to clean the dry blood stains that were there. It didn't take long at all, because the floor was fairly easy to clean. But the old wooden stairs presented him with a greater challenge, which took him hours. The wood had drained the blood, which would lead to permanent marks unless he did something. Some steps were also missing, which he had failed to notice the last time he had been there. Back then, he had been to busy with the Chaos incident. That excuse was good enough. Thus, he was now forced to replace the old steps, not just the missing ones and those that were stained, but he also replaced all the others.

He couldn't have anyone falling through the steps only by walking down. It was about time to change them anyway. After he was done, he continued cleaning the stains in the room with the 'secret' door. It wasn't really that much there, but there was still some. At least it was much warmer in the mansion itself. He needed to get an oven or two for the basement.

Once in the hall, Vincent stopped. There were no stains there. Not any more. He got to his feet and descended the stairs, then went into the first room on his right hand. Right there, by the old and only partially functioning piano, he caught Rin in the act. She held a spray box and a cloth in her hand, and turned to face him. He must have looked a little intimidating, because she knitted her eyebrows in worry upon seeing him, and pouted slightly.

"I didn't force myself! Look-" she defended herself, and sprayed a couple of times on the final spot of red on the carpet. Then she used the cloth to wipe it away. Amazingly enough, that was all it took. It even looked easier than putting the pictures back in place.  
"But... I think there's something wrong with the lights in this house." she mentioned. Vincent looked up only to see that the lamp was off. When he walked over to the switch and turned it on, nothing happened.

"...Are the other lamps out of order as well?" he asked, and she nodded. But the ovens were still on. That made no sense. That is, unless they were not powered by the electricity of this house, but by something else. Vincent guessed they were powered by electricity from the rest of the town. But he was no electrician, so he could not tell for sure.

"But the ovens still work. The kitchen ovens and the fridge as well, and we still have warm water." Rin informed thoughtfully. Then she walked over to him and passed him.

"I'll go and give back this nifty spray-clean-thingy. I'll be back in some minutes." she explained, and he watched her exit the house from his place in the door frame between the hall and the piano room. That was another thing he had yet to do: The hinges on the main doors were broken. He needed to find some new ones in town, hopefully strong enough to hold the heavy doors in place. Very slowly, he turned to watch the other door in the room, the door leading to the kitchen. A light frown caressed his features as he thought of his next mission.

To make food.

It was an easy thing, not at all hard in his opinion, but it was a waste of time. He didn't really like that it took so much of his time. He could use the time to train instead, or perhaps to fix the main doors. But that was just the reason he would do it: It was bothersome. Therefore, Rin shouldn't do it. It could trigger illness just as much as any other time-craving action. Vincent, having lived alone in the mansion for an extended period of time even after the fall of Sephiroth, was used to make food. He wondered how Rin would react upon finding he had made them something to eat.

-----------------------------------------

Rin left the Inn and headed back to the mansion. Compared to the storm, the weather was now simply breathtaking. The sun was alone, with no clouds to accompany it. It was just about to disappear behind the mountains, creating a fierce orange and red glow, rivaled by nothing in its vicinity. Rin stopped dead, her eyes wide at the beautiful sight. The sun moved just fast enough for her to see it set. Once it was gone, hidden by the mountain peaks, the sky instantly seemed to change color. It looked a lot more blue. She shook her head lightly to stop herself from spacing out, and then walked the final distance back to the mansion.

Once in inside, she spotted a bucket on top of the stairs, most likely left there by Vincent. She went up the stairs and picked it up with both hands. There was water, as well as a dirty cloth, in the wooden bucket, but it still wasn't too heavy. After emptying it and leaving it out of sight, she returned downstairs. Rin smelled a faint scent of something she couldn't quite tell what was, and walked towards the kitchen. As she got closer, the smell only strengthened. It smelled like food. Had Vincent..?

"Vincent?" she asked carefully, peeping into the kitchen just in time to see Vincent turn off the kitchen oven. Upon entering, she was greeted with the incredibly tempting look of pancakes. There was a considerable amount of them as well. Next to the pile of pancakes, there were four plates. Two empty ones, presumably for the two of them. The third plate held bacon, while the fourth contained berry jam, and Rin guessed she was free to choose which one to have herself. She grinned upon watching the food, and just barely stopped her stomach from growling. To her great surprise, the table was lit.

Not by candles, but by a flashlight attached to the lamp above them. At this, she gave a hearty laugh. Vincent was smart. Not that she had thought he wasn't, but she doubted _she _would have come up with such an idea as that flashlight.

After eating, the rest of the house was pitch dark. Every corner was hidden in the shadows cast by the old furniture, and a faint breeze filled the house as a result of the lack of main doors. Rin insisted on cleaning the dishes, but Vincent didn't quite know what to say about that. He didn't look as though he wanted to clean them himself, but he was reluctant to let her do it as well. Rin flashed him a smile.

"I traveled from Midgar to here, cleaned this house, was attacked by Chaos, walked through icy landscapes, fell into a crevice, survived Rufus, and carried loads of chests and boxes to Gongaga. I think I can manage to cleaning the dishes." Rin said, not unkindly, still smiling faintly. She was rewarded with a small smirk from Vincent, who then placed the dishes next to the sink. Rin pulled up her sleeves and grabbed the first one within her reach, and started cleaning it.

"...Do not strain yourself." Vincent said in a quiet voice.

"No problem." Rin replied. At that, she heard Vincent leave behind her. Not long after, she put the clean dishes back in their assigned shelves and exited the kitchen. As the house was now bathed in darkness, she walked right next to the wall, letting her hand slide along it as she moved into the hall. It was lit just enough for her to see the stairs, as a result of the moon shining through the windows. Once upstairs, she walked to her left and into the first bedroom. Earlier the same day she had changed the sheets. Vincent had suggested she didn't, but she didn't listen. But she hadn't strained herself at all.

She shut the door to stop the breeze from cooling down the room, and went to bed.

--------------------------------------------

The next morning, the first thing that came to Vincent's mind was to do something about the electricity. He had been awake all night, wandering around in the basement. The only thing to light the library was the single candle on the desk. However, as sunrise came and passed, light found its way through the very much hidden windows down there. He put down the book he held and put it next to the others, and once the candle light was out, he left for the upper floors. He walked into the hall and descended the stairs, then walked to his right, into the room with the piano. Rin was there, sitting in the coach.

Just as she spotted him and opened her mouth to greet him, his phone called. Vincent looked down, and heard it ring a couple of times before finding and answering it.

"Hello?" he said.  
"Vinnie! It's me, Yuffie!" the loud voice exclaimed, and Vincent held the phone away from his ear.  
"...Vinceman? You there?" she asked again.  
"Vinvin, Vince, Vinman..." she tried, not as loudly, and Vincent brought the phone closer to his ear again.  
"Okay,_Vincent._ Are you there?" she asked.

"I am here." he replied.  
"Great! ...And is Rin there?" she asked.  
"Yes." Vincent answered.  
"Can you put on the phone speaker so she can hear me?" she asked, and Vincent held the phone in front of him. He pressed a button with a small microphone on it, hoping that was the one.

"Yuffie?" he asked.  
"I'm right here! Rin, are you there?" she asked loudly.  
"I'm here, Yuffie. Nice to... hear you?" Rin said, smiling.

"Are you okay? Are you sick? Does Vinnie make you do all the housework? Has Shinra called you? Have they-"  
"Rin is not ill. We have yet to hear from Shinra." Vincent interrupted.  
"...I asked _her, _not you, Vinnieman." Yuffie said in an annoyed voice. Vincent frowned at her wide expanse of nicknames for him.  
"I'm fine, really. And Vincent is nice." Rin said, flashing a smile. They weren't really talking with him at all, were they? Vincent walked over to Rin and put the phone on the table.

"He better be! Anyway, Tifa told me that Barret said he heard from Cid that Shera was going to make him pay you a visit! And he'll bring food, because Shera made you some! You live in luxury, that's for sure. Live in a villa, and get people to bring you food from the town over!" Yuffie babbled. Vincent didn't really hear anything else, he just shut her out. Shera had made them food, and Cid was going to drop by to give it to them? When?

Vincent left the room and walked over to the main doors. Outside, in front of the steps, there was a large box waiting for someone to find it. Something was scribbled on its lid:

_Heck, this is way too early.  
I didn't care to wait for any of ya to wake up.  
This better be worth it, dangit.  
Shera said you can put the food in the freezer or sumthin', so it'll last longer.  
Not that I care.  
-Cid._

Vincent grabbed the rather large box and carried it inside. On his way to the kitchen he passed through the room in which Rin and Yuffie were still talking.

"-But hey, is he, like, _romantic_? Does he give you materia? Can I have some if he does?" he heard Yuffie ask in a mischievous way, making him frown. Rin's cheeks turned red.  
"Romantic?" he asked, his voice dark. The room turned incredibly quiet.

"...Um, Rin, I _have_ to go!" Yuffie said, then immediately hung up. _Romantic?_ Still frowning, Vincent grabbed his phone with one hand while still holding the box in the other. Rin got up from the coach and followed him as he walked into the kitchen. After reading Cid's message, Rin opened the box. There was quite a lot of food in it. All kinds of things, and they were free to choose.

After eating, they put the box in the fridge, trusting Cid's scribbled words. It was actually quite handy. None of them had to make food now. At least not in a while.  
But to Vincent's surprise and annoyance, his phone once again started ringing. It had never done that twice in one day. This time, he put the speaker on before answering.

"What?" he asked.

"_Finally!_ Hey, Tseng, come over here! I found the right number this time! Do I get promoted now?" a familiar voice asked. Reno the Turk. Vincent glanced to Rin, whose expression darkened in worry as she heard the man.  
"No, Reno. Leave. ...Vincent Valentine?" the darker voice asked.

"What?" he asked again, slightly quiet this time.

"Is Rin there? Does she show any signs of illness?" he asked in a monotone voice.  
"No. Why are the Turks so interested in knowing her current state?" Vincent replied, his voice darker, his face devoid of feelings.  
"Merely because we doubt you would have listened to our scientists if they tried calling. Am I right?" Tseng asked.

"...That depends. Does Hojo... by any chance still live?" Vincent asked.  
"He does not. But he has some very loyal minions. Both scientists and subjects." Tseng said, and Vincent said nothing. Rin cleared her voice a little before speaking.  
"Last time, you said that two persons weren't ill yet. Who was the other one?" Rin asked in an uncertain voice.

Vincent looked away. He already knew the answer to that question. He should have told her.  
"...Next to you, that would be Vincent Valentine. He is the only one who has genes able to withstand Chaos' own genes." Tseng explained, and Rin turned to him.

"Now, you may wonder why we are telling you this, am I right? ...The reason is the scientists. They wonder if any of their subjects will survive at all. Most of the experiments are already dead. The disease develops quickly. If Rin still lives, and has yet to become ill, that will be good news for the scientists. They would like to perform more experiments, even." Tseng said. He didn't really sound as though he liked what he said.  
"Not happening. If they wanted me to stay, why did they let me go in the first place?" Rin mumbled. Tseng gave a single cold laugh.

"...You were freed by mistake, by a newly employed scientist that had been told to let someone else go. He freed the wrong experiment. You should thank him." Tseng said, and was greeted with silence as none of them answered him.  
"From what I have gathered, you do not wish to return? None of you?" Tseng said.  
"That is correct." Vincent answered, and earned a small smile from Rin, who still watched the phone.

"What if you get ill?" Tseng asked, his voice a little lighter. His question was left in the air, leaving the atmosphere heavy.

"I don't think Shinra can help if I get ill. They couldn't help the others, could they?" Rin asked silently.  
"...Unfortunately, that would be the case, yes." Tseng said in defeat.  
"Is that all?" Vincent asked.  
"I believe so." Tseng said.  
"I won't get ill." Rin informed, determined.

"...Farewell." Tseng said, pity only vaguely appreciable in his voice.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and neither of them spoke much. What was important remained unspoken of, and the mood only worsened. In order to think of something else, Vincent went to the other houses in Nibelheim in his search for door hinges. He didn't know if he should be pleased or not upon finding what he searched for in less than minutes. After returning to the house, he found the required tools and fixed the doors. He had never done more handiwork than this ever before. Avalanche had better not find out, much less give it any thought. But even so, he was quite content with the results. The doors opened and closed quite nicely.

But something was still off. He didn't feel all that good. What was about to happen was quite obvious to him. He was not ill, but Chaos was staring to move again. Not much, just enough for him to feel it. Even so, he wasn't about to make the same mistake he did last time, to wait for tomorrow. Thus, after he had put the tools back where they belonged, he went to find Rin. It didn't take long. She sat by the piano. From what he could guess, she tried fixing the piano keys. Some of them hadn't worked properly in ages. He watched her try them all in turn, and observed as she stopped upon hitting a key that didn't work.

"Rin." he said, and she turned to him with one finger still on the key.  
"Hm?" she asked.  
"...I will be away until tomorrow. To let out Chaos." he informed, and her eyebrows rose.

"Oh. I see... When will you be back?" she asked quietly, hitting the key that didn't work several times while still watching him.  
"Tomorrow evening, to be safe. Your sword is in the basement if you want it back." Vincent said calmly, feeling strangely content. Rin flashed him a faint smile and moved away from the piano and walked closer to him.  
"Good luck, then. Bye." Rin said hesitatingly, not knowing what else to say.

"Farewell." he said, watching her intently. Then he turned around slowly, still watching her, and left.

There was only one thing that remained to be done. Vincent hurried back into the basement and put away the books he had been searching through last night. The books were mostly about topics he was not at all too fond of. The research papers and old documents he found were mostly about Sephiroth, but he had managed to find some about the experiments made on himself as well, hoping they said something about how to cure the illness that could strike Rin. He had yet to find anything accurate or reliable from said sources, but he hadn't read through it all, only skimmed the pages.

But for now, he had to focus on Chaos.

* * *

...  
Then he leaves and we don't know what's going to happen in Nibelheim at all. There are many different outcomes here.  
I'm the only one who knows for sure what's going to happen... Heheheh... 


	17. Malaise

Disclaimer: You know the drill.  
This isn't the last chapter! There'll still be a few more...  
I barely had any time at all to write this. I have an essay to write(for school), and I have another fanfic to continue, and I'm editing my oldest story a lot, and that'll be updated before December. Hopefully :)

Oh-my-_gosh... _I can't _believe _I haven't thanked you for your reviews more often! I...(-is ashamed-) keep forgetting it...(-is even more ashamed and dodges flying rotten tomatoes-) But! That doesn't mean I don't appreciate them! I love 'em! Thank _you!_

* * *

Malaise

* * *

After Vincent left, Rin was left behind alone, and decided to just wander around in the large mansion. It was all quite eerie, as there were still no lights in the house, and Rin held a candle in her hand to light the way. Evening was coming, but it wasn't _completely _dark yet. But it was still too silent for her liking, and after fixing the broken piano, she decided to have a look at some of the rooms she hadn't visited more than once. She had cleaned the entire mansion, with the sole exception of Vincent's basement, but that didn't mean she had gotten used to the place. 

As she walked up the stairs, she glanced to her left, then to her right, unable to decide where to go first. Besides, she had to be careful not to stumble upon any fiends. There were very few of them here at the moment, and she guessed it had something to do with the fact that she had cleaned the old house. But she had only cleaned the rooms themselves. Rin hadn't taken a look into the many shelves and closets around the house at all. Only the ones in the kitchen.

Rin walked to the right and continued down the narrow hall. She chose a random door and entered slowly. The room held no fiends. She remembered finding a mirror there the last time she had dropped by, and closed the door behind her to get an overview of the entire room. The mirror was right next to a closet. The first time she came here, that closet had been so dusty it looked as though it was covered in a gray blanket. On the other side of the mirror, there was a small table. Rin placed the candle there and walked closer to the mirror.

Her own pale face looked back at her, mimicking every move she made. She was barely illuminated by the flickering candle. Her hair, only a little longer than Vincent's, was brown, not too dark, nor too light. In order to see her eyes better, Rin moved closer to the mirror. They were pale green. From a distance, they looked gray. Rin frowned upon seeing her tired face, and looked down at her clothes. She wore black boots going halfway up to her knees, and baggy black pants. Her top was white, and she wore a hooded zip-up jacket. It was gray, and open. In other words, she didn't wear anything too colorful.

Rin stepped back and looked at the closet. Perhaps there were some old clothes there? Not wasting any time, she opened it. Inside were piles of old clothes in all colors and fashions. Rin smiled. She liked dressing up. Back before she met the people from Shinra, she had tried going into an expensive shop to try on some fancy clothes. Some friends of hers were with her. Though it was a lot of fun pretending to be rich, they were soon found out. They didn't get to stay there too long. But this time, that wasn't the case.

As she couldn't decide which to try first, she shut her eyes and grabbed some garments randomly.

Much later, when the candle was almost coming to an end, Rin put all of the garments back into the closet. She had tried more than half of them. By then, it was all dark outside. But among the clothes, she had found some outfits that fit her quite nicely. Perhaps she could ask Vincent if she could have them. She doubted he'd ever fit into any of them, seeing as he was not exactly a woman. Besides, he was taller than her. Rin was about as tall as Tifa, only a little shorter.

At the moment, she wore red slippers, her own baggy black pants, a long red top, and a loose white shirt with short arms. It looked rather sloppy, but that didn't matter. But she'd had a strange fancy for _red_ lately. She knew very well why. Sighing, Rin folded the last coat and placed it nicely on top of the pile of clothes in the closet. After closing it, she scooped up her own clothes from the floor and was about to take the candle and leave, but then she spotted something. There was a hat on top of the old closet. She vaguely recalled that she hadn't cleaned the top of it back when she first arrived in Nibelheim. She hadn't been tall enough.

The hat looked fancy, and though she wasn't planning to use it, she found she had to at least _try _it. Thus, she dropped her clothes to the floor and opened the closet again. She placed one foot on the pile of clothes, and jumped up just enough to grab onto the top of the closet. After pulling herself up, she grabbed the round, red hat. As she was about to put it on her head, still standing on the pile of clothes, something caught her attention.

There was something inside the hat, something white with several black, rather large spots on it. As the light was not very strong up there, she narrowed her eyes to see better. The white looked like some sort of spider web. Rin's eyes widened. Then the black things had to be...

Spiders. Many.

Rin shoved the hat away while at the same time falling backwards, as she let go of everything in surprise. In mid-air, Rin moved an arm around to cushion her fall. That didn't help much. Upon impact, Rin gave a groan of pain and rolled over to her stomach, supporting herself with one arm. She glanced at the other arm, and saw a couple of moving black spots crawl up her arm. After a sharp intake of breath, she shook her arm violently, anxious to get the spiders off as fast as possible. They weren't dangerous, she knew that, but they _were_ creepy when there were so many of them.

She got to her feet, stepping a lot so the spiders couldn't climb her legs, and made her way to the door. When she opened the door, a small puff of wind blew out the single candle, leaving her in the jet-black shadows of the house. Rin closed the door after exiting, and used her hands to quickly navigate away from the room and out from the narrow hall. Most of her own clothes were left behind in the spidery room, with the sole exception of her pants. She would have to go get them later. During the day, of course.

But at the time being, she had other things to worry about. She couldn't even see her hands in front of her. Very carefully, Rin made her way downstairs by letting her hands slide along the railing. Once she was in the room with the piano, she easily found the door leading to the kitchen. Her goal was the flashlight that Vincent had attached to the kitchen lamp earlier.

Still shaking a little, Rin's hands hit the kitchen table. After finding a chair, she climbed up to stand on it and waved her hands slowly in mid-air. It was out of her reach. Making sure she didn't step close to the edges, Rin moved to stand on the table. She would have to clean it later if she left 'spidery' footprints. This time moving a lot slower, she stretched her arms out again. It didn't take too long before her hand hit the flashlight. She instantly turned it on, though with slight difficulties because her arm still hurt. She would definitely have a bruise or two from that fall.

She just hoped it hadn't triggered anything.

"Stupid little thing..." she muttered, her voice a little shaky, as she didn't manage to get the tape off the flashlight. It was stuck. Becoming impatient, Rin took hold of the flashlight and pulled it downward. But as she thought it wouldn't work, she pulled a little_too_ hard. The flashlight loosened from the lamp and Rin let go of it in surprise. As it landed, everything turned black again. Why was it that everything went wrong? This was a really bad case of failing luck.

Rin stepped back to stand on the chair. Only her foot didn't hit the middle of it, but rather the edge, and when she tried to regain her balance, that only worsened things in the dark room. The chair tilted backwards, taking Rin with it. She could only close her eyes and pull up her shoulders to brace herself as she fell for the second time. Vincent would _not _like this. This could absolutely be defined as 'straining herself'.

She landed, unable to see a thing, her back hitting the floor first. Her head followed, adding to the pain that was already peaking. The chair was next to her, she knew that, because her arm hit it. For a second, she thought the room was illuminated by something. But when she blinked, it was gone. Then it returned again, and once again she blinked, and the light disappeared. Not moving at all, she kept blinking some times before the light turned too strong. Rin shut her eyes and didn't open them again.

-------------------------------

Vincent, far away from Nibelheim, stopped for a moment. This was an ideal place for him to let out Chaos. Depending on how long Chaos would be at it, Vincent would be home tomorrow afternoon or tomorrow evening. As it was already around midnight, and since the moon was hidden by the clouds above, it was quite dark. But Vincent, used to the dark as he was, could still see. Vincent had found a suitable place in the middle of a forest, in which the branches of the trees would keep Chaos from flying away. There were plenty of fiends around as well. He closed his eyes and let Chaos take control. But not without offering Rin one last thought.

-------------------------------

The next morning, Rin woke up in a daze. Sunlight illuminated the room, and made her shut her eyes again. Then, as she opened her eyes again, she recalled what had happened the night before. It could have been a dream, but she was still in the kitchen, at the floor. She frowned a little in confusion upon realizing her body didn't hurt at all. Then she flashed a smile, relieved. That had to mean she was okay. In other words, she wasn't ill. Her falls yesterday hadn't triggered anything.

_...Falls._

As in not _one _fall, but_two _falls. That was embarrassing. And ironic. _And _clumsy.

Rin's smile was exchanged with a frown at that thought, and she used her hands to sit up. Then a strong pain made her freeze in the middle of her movement, frightening her. Was she hurt after all? Rin started moving again, slower this time. It instantly started hurting, but ceased when she stopped moving. A faint headache made its way to her head, but Rin didn't let that stop her from getting to her feet. Once she was on her legs, her headache worsened a whole lot, making her close her eyes. Rin shifted a little to find out if she was injured. She wasn't. But her body still hurt. What hurt most was her head, right arm and back. But the rest of her body ached as well.

Stupid her. Falling asleep on the floor like that.

A part of her told her not to care too much about it all, but something else tugged at her mind, considering the less attractive possibilities. Had her accidents triggered something after all?

Rin moved the chair back where it belonged, then grabbed the flashlight from the floor, not entirely without pain. After putting the flashlight in her pocket for later, in case she would need it, she went to the bathroom. There, Rin walked over to the mirror. She didn't look into it, afraid she would see an evident change of her condition. But she couldn't stand there forever, so she slowly looked up and watched the clear image that was reflected. She searched her face for symptoms.

There were none, except for the fact that she looked paler than usual. Come to think of it, she didn't really know what kind of symptoms to look for. But as of yet, she decided to blame her own stupid curiosity. She just _had _to try that hat to see how it looked. At least she hadn't put it on her head. The mere thought made her shudder. Then things had taken a turn for the worse. That was all. For now, she would just have something to eat and then have a nap or something.

And that was just what she did. After eating breakfast, she downed a cup of water to ease her headache and then slumped into the sofa in the room with the piano. She fell asleep in less than five minutes.

-------------------------------

When Chaos finally stopped, and changed back into Vincent, it was already late. Chaos had been at it for quite a while. From last night and all the way until evening one day later. At least that meant he wouldn't be bothering Vincent again for a while. But something was still off. Vincent could no longer tell where he was. Apparently, Chaos had ventured much deeper into the forest in which he had been freed. And now, Vincent was there in his place. It would take him quite a while to get out. Though he could still see the faint light from above, there was no sign of the sun setting anywhere. The leaf-covered trees hid the sky from his view.

With a faint frown on his face, Vincent walked in a random direction. With no sun to use for navigation, he would just have to walk in one direction until he got out of there.

But apparently, things just weren't that easy. It didn't take long before his longs strides came to a halt, stopped by a rather steep cliff towering above him. Seeing no other options, he turned back and walked the opposite way. However, as he was once again kept from leaving by _another _cliff, Vincent narrowed his eyes. Could Chaos have done that on purpose?

Vincent looked up at the rocky wall. There was no way such a trivial thing asthis could stop him. After observing the wall for some long seconds, Vincent moved his arms to it and started climbing it. Despite many loose rocks and rotten roots, he made it up without any problems worth mentioning. But there, fiends awaited his arrival. Vincent glanced at each of them. Chaos had _definitely _done this on purpose. But his gun, Cerberus, took care of said obstacles, and Vincent continued.

To his annoyance, it took more than just half an hour to get out. By the time he left the large and gloomy forest, darkness was once again shrouding him and his surroundings. And even now, it would still take him hours to get back to Nibelheim. He just hoped Rin wouldn't be too upset about it. And he hoped she could manage on her own, considering the fact that none of the lamps in the house worked properly. But for all _he _knew, Cid or one of the others had dropped by to help her in one way or another. Thus, he did not at all hurry. Once he was at the plains, he could see the peaks of the mountains behind Nibelheim. He couldn't see the town, as it was hidden in the shadows cast by the moon and the mountains. There were no clouds tonight. Vincent enjoyed this, and took in the beauty of the bright, large moon. He didn't run, nor stride, but rather walked slowly. If Rin had managed on her own until now, she would be able to manage until he came back. There was no need for him to rush.

As the plains were wide and broad, betraying the eyes of those thinking they could pass it in only minutes, it took Vincent quite a while to get back to Nibelheim and the old Shinra mansion. The second he opened the two heavy main doors, the sun rose to greet those who happened to be awake at such an early hour.

Once inside, he strode towards the kitchen. He failed to notice the sleeping form in the piano room, asleep on the coach. After having a quick meal, he glanced up to see that the flashlight was no longer attached to the lamp. Perhaps Rin had used it. He eyed it, his narrow red orbs scanning the lamp and the place in which the gadget had been. And upon lowering his crimson gaze, he spotted something else that he had failed to notice earlier, as he had eaten his food while standing. The table was a little dusty. Then he moved his eyes back to the lamp. Had Rin been standing at the table while trying to get the flashlight down?

His face betraying no emotions at all, remaining cold, he rose to his feet and left the room. He had better check on her, just in case. Where did she sleep? He strode into the piano room, and upon seeing something on the coach, he stopped. It was Rin. Why she slept here and not in a bed was beyond him. Perhaps she had been waiting for him. Vincent approached slowly and stopped right next to her.

"...Rin?" he said in a murmur, not unkindly. She didn't stir.

Cautiously, he moved his un-clawed hand to her and touched her shoulder. Then he shook her carefully, while keeping his blood-like gaze at her. She still didn't move. There was a possibility she was a heavy sleeper. That had happened before, back on the airship, right before they went to Midgar. He had carried her back to her room back then, afraid that Cid would scare the living daylights out of her if he woke her up in the morning. Yes, she was most likely just a heavy sleeper.

But had she always been that pale?

Vincent took hold of her hand and checked her pulse. It was normal. And her breath was slow and even. It was just him being worried. He turned to leave, but stopped as he noticed her clothes. They were not her own, were they? Perhaps she had found them in the house somewhere. He wondered vaguely whether she had chosen red and black because of him. But her white shirt fit her, too. She had probably found a whole lot of other clothes as well. His gaze moved to her arm, not entirely covered by her white shirt, as its arms only went down to her elbows. Narrowing his eyes a little, he spotted a rather faint, yet large bruise there. How had she managed to do that? Finding this increasingly suspicious, he once again moved his dark eyes to Rin's face.

She really _was _paler than usual.

Again, he tried shaking her shoulder lightly. She didn't stir.  
"...You need to wake up." he muttered calmly, aware that panicking would not help at all. Rin remained peaceful, unflustered by his gentle touch to her shoulder. He tried again, with a little more force. No response. If she hadn't been breathing, she would have looked dead. Since when had she been like this? He did _not _like this. Her condition could have worsened right after he left Nibelheim, for all he knew. And there he was, taking his time. As if nothing was wrong. If she was ill, what could he do? Had the illness been triggered by something, or was it all just a matter of time, as the Turks had implied? Vincent found his phone from one of his pockets, ready to use it. But he had yet to find out who to call, or if Rin was ill at all. Perhaps he was overreacting. He hoped that was the case.

With the phone in his clawed hand, he somehow managed to get off the glove of his other hand and then moved it to Rin's forehead. Judging from the heat, her body temperature was much higher than it should. That did not bode well.

"_Rin._" he said, his concern betrayed by the sound of that single word, given away by the voice he had once mastered completely.

* * *

...  
What can he _do?_  
Reviews will be used to feed my starving piggy bank. Or something. 


	18. Resolution

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters.

'Review' is spelled L-O-V-E.  
I have another fic on here now: The Milestone. Has Sephiroth in it, if that interests you...

* * *

Resolution

* * *

Rin was unconscious, and Vincent knew very well why. Judging from her high fever, illness had taken hold of her, holding her in its unmerciful grasp. It did not matter what he did, she would not wake up. But what could he do? None of the others had survived this illness, if he were to trust the Turks. The disease was a result of partly failed experiments. Rin would never age, but in return, the Chaos genes would break down her own ones. Though she did not have an inner creature of her own, she still couldn't take this. The only one capable of holding both the genes and Chaos at bay was Vincent.

However, as Rin did not have the same genes as him, she would not be able to fight back. What had happened with the other experiments after they died? Had they been buried, or did the Chaos genes cause mutations that the Turks had avoided informing them about? Frowning as his crimson gaze observed the sleeping young woman in front of him, Vincent mentally cursed himself for not returning earlier. Would he have been able to keep this from happening?

His thoughts wandered to possible solutions. It would be of no use to call the other members of Avalanche. They would not know how to help. Shinra had experience, but so far, they had been unable to find a way to stop their subjects from dying. The one who knew the most about this was himself. Even so, he did not know enough. Then there was Lucrecia, the only person who knew more than himself. But she would never return. The only one who had a chance of doing anything at all, was him.

Shifting slightly, uncertain of what to do next, Vincent frowned. If he could not wake her up, he would have to come up with something else. He could not scare her awake, because that could worsen her condition and aggravate the illness caused by the Chaos genes in her blood. The books in the basement flashed through his mind, and Vincent did not waste any time. He rose to his feet and strode out of the room, the pace of his strides soon increasing. Thus, he got to the basement within less than a minute.

Once down there, he quickly found the books he had yet to read, as well as some of the books he had already skimmed through. There was only one book missing, which was written by Lucrecia. Vincent knew it was hidden in one of the drawers down there. However, as he'd had a faint hope that Rin would not get ill, he had not yet read it, nor even searched for it. Even so, as thing were at the moment, he knew he would need it. Vincent hesitated a little at first, but then moved over to the desk and opened the upper drawer.

It was empty, with the exception of a single key. Vincent grabbed it and closed the drawer. Then he lowered down and put the small and rusty key in an old keyhole, which made sure the lower drawer remained shut. Vincent turned the key and stopped upon hearing a faint 'click'. His clawed hand moved to the handle and pulled out the drawer. Thus, what was contained there was revealed.

Down there was a single, old and dusty book, ragged as a result of having been used a lot in the past. There was no title on the cover, nor any other sign telling who the book belonged to, but Vincent knew it was Lucrecia's.

He took hold of it and put it carefully on top of the small pile of books he had already found. Though the old book was thinner than the other few books that he had found, he was sure it contained a lot more data than any of them. He sighed silently, watching the book with dull eyes, before he scooped the small pile of books up and brought them back upstairs. Rin had not moved even a little. Vincent settled in the chair closest to the coach, and put the books on the small table between them. His blood-red gaze moved from Rin to Lucrecia's book. The heavy feeling tugging at him felt oddly familiar, but he could not tell what it tried telling him. He grabbed the book and opened it.

Upon seeing Lucrecia's handwriting, Vincent closed his eyes for a split second. Then he continued, hoping he would find some usable information, preferably something about how to prevent unwanted reactions, such as the disease that Chaos' genes had caused Rin. Lucrecia's written words, simple, elegant and almost flawless, told him many things that he already knew. But as he continued reading, and her handwriting worsened as she continued to fall into despair and sorrow, new information surfaced. Vincent watched the words and the sloppy handwriting, knowing that Lucrecia regretted what she had cursed him with.

Chaos, that had been bestowed upon him against his will, had saved his life.

If it hadn't been for the genes of Chaos, Vincent would have died. However, Chaos could not let him die, because if he did, he would have died as well. Chaos would have been in complete control of him if Vincent wouldn't have had a special kind of materia in his body. As Vincent continued to read, the frown on his face deepened, and he found out other things of importance. It was not thanks to his 'genes' that Chaos could live in his body. The alterations that Hojo made to his body, however, made Vincent a perfect host for Chaos. Chaos would not kill Vincent, but Vincent could not get rid of Chaos.

With a dark gaze, he continued to read the book. What had once been fine, beautiful writing, was now merely a couple of scribbles here and there. Then it stopped altogether. Vincent leafed through the pages, seeing that there was nothing else in the book. Lucrecia had, at some point, escaped from Hojo. Vincent had been left behind. He did not blame her. On the contrary; if she had stayed with him, Hojo would have destroyed her completely. He was pleased that she had left before she was no longer herself. If Hojo would have kept her there, Vincent would never have been able to forgive himself.

It had all started when he tried to talk Lucrecia into not letting Hojo experiment with the child in her womb. When she did not listen, he had gone to Hojo instead. But Hojo, being himself, was not planning to stop the experiments at all. He shot Vincent, and then altered him to be able to hold Chaos within. Upon finding that Vincent would not live for long, Lucrecia had done everything she could to make him survive.

Vincent shut the book, as if trying to wake himself up.

Memories were not needed now. He had learned to live with the past, and was not about to let it take hold of him again. As things were, only one solution to the problem had made its way to his mind. Rin would only survive if a creature was integrated into her body. A creature that would not let her die, because if Rin died, the creature itself would die as well.

But there was no way he could integrate a monster into her body, like Chaos in himself. Not only was he not sure how to do it, but Rin was not altered, like Vincent had been by Hojo. In order to be able to have such a being inside, she would have to be altered. And Vincent had no idea how Hojo had altered him at all. The books said nothing about that. As much as he hated to admit it, the only ones who could possibly alter her and integrate a monster in Rin in order to save her life, was Shinra and its scientists.

Vincent found his phone and searched for the latest few calls. One from Yuffie, and the other from Shinra. To save Rin, he would have to call Shinra.

But would she want that? Would she want to have a monster inside, or would she detest it, like he had done? The two options were 'death', and 'life', the latter including a monster. Rin was already cursed with some sort of immortality as a result of the experiments Shinra had made with her. She would not age, but she would be able to die if she was killed or became ill, like now. But with an inner creature, she would be able to die only if someone killed her. Rin did not strike him as a person who wanted to get killed in order to die.

This had to be how Lucrecia had felt so long ago. And she had chosen to try saving him, no matter what.   
Vincent pushed the 'call' button and held the phone to his hear, detesting what he was about to do.

"...Heeello?" an annoying voice greeted, belonging to Reno the Turk.  
"_Tseng._" Vincent demanded, his voice dark and threatening.

"..."  
"..."

"Uh, Tseng, I think someone wants to murder you." Reno informed. Vincent heard steps, and the phone was taken from Reno.  
"Reno, leave. And you two, make yourselves useful somewhere." Tseng commanded, and the other Turks left, not entirely without protests.

"Who is this?" Tseng asked.  
"...Vincent Valentine." Vincent said, his voice dangerously low.

"Ah... Is this, by any chance... about Rin?" Tseng asked quietly.  
"She is dying."

"...I see...Can we be of help?"  
"Her only chance of survival includes alteration of her body and integration of a creature." Vincent said, voice silent, but his words fast.

"..."  
"Does your scientists know how to perform such a thing?"

"That... I believe so. Do you intend to bring her here?" Tseng asked.  
"_No._"

"Then, what-"  
"You bring the required scientists here." Vincent muttered.

"...Is that what you want?"  
"No. But it is what it takes, and I will do it."

"I see... We will bring someone there tomorrow. Nibelheim, is it?" Tseng asked, his voice monotone. As Vincent was about to reply, Rin made a sudden move. Her muscles tensed and she grit her teeth in pain. Vincent blinked, his crimson eyes fixed at her.

"If your scientists kill her, I will kill them. If you bring more than necessary, I shall rid us of those that are not needed. If they abuse any kind of data gathered during Rin's surgery, be it on her or any other, I shall make sure that their deaths will be caused by one of Hojo's own experiments. I doubt Chaos will hesitate when he sees them." Vincent warned, his muttered words leaving his lips so fast he wondered if Tseng had heard him. He knew his threats were strong, but if he used weak warnings, the scientists would most certainly ignore him. Which was why Vincent did not intend to leave Rin's side before the scientists were long gone.

"...I see." Tseng said in a whisper. After some long seconds, Vincent replied by hanging up.

Rin's sudden moves worried him. She wriggled in pain, and her breath changed constantly. First, it was slow, and then she stopped breathing altogether. After some seconds, she inhaled air as though she had nearly been strangled seconds before. Vincent moved closer only to realise that her hands were shivering. She hugged her arms, and her knees were pulled up. Vincent, knowing he was in for a long night of waiting, wondered if this was how he had looked like back then. This was all too hard. Vincent hated seeing her like that. He did not wish for her to die.

He just hoped she would forgive him for calling Shinra, of all people.

-----------------------------------

As the warm sun entered the large windows the next day, Vincent's head jerked up. The light nearly blinded him, but he paid no attention to it. The reason he looked up was the sounds that approached. He heard steps, and his dark gaze travelled from window to window as he searched for the source. He stopped upon seeing a helicopter, which was positioned at the plains. It was far away, which was most likely the reason he hadn't heard it landing. Two other helicopters were there as well. Was that necessary? How many were coming? Vincent rose to his feet and strode out into the hall just as someone knocked. The sound echoed through the old mansion, signalizing the arrival of the 'guests'.

Vincent remained still, knowing they would come inside anyway. He was right. As the doors opened, the first person he saw was Reno the Turk. The redhead looked around in suspicion, and upon seeing Vincent, he stepped back. Why was he here? He was not needed, was he?

"I'm here as a pilot, yo!" Reno defended himself, as if Vincent's stare had written the question for him. The second person to arrive was Tseng, shortly followed by Rude, the Turk with sunglasses. After spotting Vincent, Tseng approached.

"Those are pilots. None of the scientists can control a helicopter." he explained.  
"One helicopter for the scientists, and two smaller ones for equipment..." Tseng said, then tracked off. Vincent knew what he had been about to say.

_And one monster._

Vincent did not like any of the things mentioned so far. Nonetheless, once the few scientists came inside, he turned and moved slowly to the room in which Rin was sleeping. Her temperature had kept increasing all night, and her eyes occasionally opened, but she remained unconscious. She had, at the very least, stopped moving and trembling. Upon once again seeing her, her face nearly white, and her arms resting next to her, Vincent came to a halt. She didn't move at all, but he knew she was breathing.

As the scientists passed him and surrounded Rin, everything turned into a vague row of moving pictures. Everything passed in a blur. He remained still, while the Turks brought the required equipment from the helicopter. The scientists exchanged a few words every now and then, and grabbed different kinds of tools. They worked for hours, that all seemed too short. Rin occasionally stopped breathing, like she had done all night, but that never lasted for too long. They injected some liquid that was unknown to him, but it resembled some sort of Mako. However, as they continued to work, one of them eventually approached him.

"We need to restrain her." the man said, and his dull, metal-like eyes stared at Vincent. Vincent flashed him a displeased glare as response. The man stepped back.  
"What." Vincent demanded.  
"...While integrating the monster, we need to restrain her."

Restrain? How?

"We can help!" Reno said from outside, and after some seconds, he entered. A rather uncomfortable Rude was pulled by the collar of his suit into the room by the redhead, whose smirk did not really lighten the mood at all. Without any other instructions, Reno pulled Rude over to Rin. After carefully moving her to the floor, each of them held her arms in place. Tseng also entered the room, and he glanced at Vincent. Seeing that this was necessary, Vincent gave a short nod. Tseng walked over to Rin and lowered to her feet. Vincent did the same. Though he was not sure how Rin would react upon getting a monster integrated into her body, they could not afford taking any risks.

"For your information... Because she already has some of Chaos genes, the new monster will merge with them. We don't know how she'll react." the metal-eyed scientist said.

As none of them replied, he opened the large, white box next to him. With gloved hands, he took hold of a strange-looking materia and moved it slowly until his hand stopped in mid-air, hovering above Rin.

"And just so you know, this is the only monster we have left after Hojo integrated the rest of them into you, Mr. Valentine. It is an ice fiend. You should be grateful that we even try this." he muttered, his voice cold. Vincent's eyes were fixed at the materia-like thing he held, and he was certain that each and all of the others held their breath as the scientist let go of it.

The shiny object instantly merged with Rin upon impact, and went straight through her clothes and continued into her body.

The light that had emitted from the materia only seconds before, vanished from their sight. Nothing happened. All of them waited, first for five seconds, then ten. There was no reaction. As seconds turned into minutes, Reno let go of Rin's arm and shoulder. It did not take long before Rude did the same. Tseng glanced at the scientists.

"How long will it take before she reacts?" he asked, his voice breaking the silence.  
"That, we don't know. Lucrecia was the first one to see that particular thing happen. Hojo was not around at that time. Perhaps-"

His words stopped in his throat as he watched Tseng being kicked in his jaw. Tseng rolled away before Rin could kick him one more time. Everyone's attention snapped to her, and Rude and Reno moved their hands back to her arms to hold her down. Their attempts were futile, as their feet were wiped away when wings came out of nowhere. In less than a second, Rin transformed into the monster that had just been integrated into her, though said fiend was heavily influenced by the Chaos genes she already had.

The eyes of the creature were yellow, like that of Chaos, and its wings resembled bat wings, only much larger. The color it was granted contrasted with everything else in the room, as the icy blue color made it look as though the fiend was made of ice. It jerked its foot out of Vincent's grip, determined to fight, or at least the very least escape. It let out a roar sounding awfully familiar, and though Vincent himself had not hear Chaos roar before, he was certain that their war cries resembled that of each other.

Vincent suddenly realized how horrible Lucrecia must have felt upon saving his life using an inhuman method such as this.  
He could not recall the last time he felt this bad.

* * *

...  
I use so much of my spare time on this... I really hope you like reading:) 


	19. Flaws

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy.

Sorry for being late...  
Also, sorry for the 'sudden' illness striking out of nowhere. Rin has been hurt earlier, and she's gone through quite a lot, but I suppose the limit for what she could take was crossed upon being frightened/falling and getting hurt. She didn't heal too fast this time, remember..? The other times, she did get better pretty fast(considering the circumstances...). This time, her bruises didn't go away, for instance. Once again: I'm sorry if it wasn't too believable... :(  
And... sorry for babbling so much :) Two chapters to go!

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Flaws

* * *

The three Turks and the scientists stared at the being in front of them. Vincent did too, only he glanced at the others as well. Was that how people looked at him when Chaos was in control? The low continuous growling coming from the snow-white fiend in front of them made sure they all stayed alert. Its icy breath formed clouds around the fiend's mouth as it breathed slowly, observing them. It seemed to wait for something. Seeing movement, Vincent turned back to the scientists. Most of them looked frightened, at the very least, but the one with the steel-like eyes only stared. Whether he was shocked or just very pleased with the results, Vincent could not tell. 

Upon seeing the fiend shift, their attention once again snapped back to the fiend. It lowered slightly while opening its mouth even more, revealing two rows of glass-like teeth that were, undoubtedly, far stronger than they looked. The creature kept lowering until it was ready to charge at them, but stayed still, as though it was waiting for them to move first.

That made sense: The fiend was, after all, outnumbered. Vincent vaguely wondered if Rin knew what was going on.

As the other scientists suddenly turned and ran out of the room one by one, the white fiend in the middle of the room jerked around and jumped in their direction with a loud snarl. However, as the Turks all moved in its way, it once again stopped. Vincent narrowed his eyes.

How could they stop the fiend without damaging Rin?

"Vincent..." Tseng warned in a low voice, and their eyes met for a short moment, both frowning. They had to, at the very least, weaken the fiend. As if the only scientist remaining in the room had read his mind, he found a gun-like device from one of his pockets. Vincent guessed it contained some sort of drug.

Still standing behind the Turks for protection, the scientist pointed at the fiend with the device. The creature only stared. It was such a strange thing to observe; even though it had wings, pointy teeth, and yellow eyes, the fiend still resembled a human in some ways. Thanks to the genes of Chaos, as well as Rin's own, it was also smarter than an ordinary fiend. It was much smarter now than before it was integrated in Rin.

And much faster.

As the scientist shot, one of the fiend's hands snapped into position in front of it and grabbed it, the hypodermic needle stopping only inches away from its shoulder. Using its claws, it broke the syringe, causing the liquid inside to fall to the floor. The fiend lowered its head to look at it, then turned its attention back to the scientist whose eyes resembled dull silver. Not heeding the presence of the others, it approached the man, its eyes fixed on its enemy.

"Rude, Reno!" Tseng said, his voice strict as he gave the two of them a wordless command. They complied to his unspoken order, both charging towards the fiend in front of them. Turning its attention to the most colorful of them, Reno, the fiend rose to its full height and spread its wings. This did not stop the two of them; Reno distracted it with his electric stun baton, and Rude ran around it to attack from behind. Vincent's eyes flashed between the two of them.

There was not much he could do, as bullets from his Cerberus gun would only do damage. Chaos could have been of help, but he had already been on a rampage for nearly a day already. It would take long for him to emerge again. The only way to force Chaos out was to get himself injured. Even if he chose to do that, he would place the others in danger by transforming into Chaos, as he had no control once that happened.

Then again, the Turks would be able to fend for themselves. They would protect the scientists, too.

His train of thoughts was interrupted as the fiend gave a loud cry upon being hit by Reno's stun baton, and he saw the Turks pull back to Tseng's side again. Didn't that scientist have something else he could use? Some other drugs?

"Do something!" the scientist exclaimed in a hissing voice, looking at Vincent. Once Vincent turned back to the fiend, it was dangerously close to him, and kept closing in gradually.

"It can tell that you hold Chaos within!" the scientist added, causing Vincent to frown. If this fiend could feel Chaos, could Chaos feel something as well? As if on cue, something started pricking inside him, and the burning sensation of something tearing its way out started growing. Vincent felt his eyes flash, and only barely registered the others watching him carefully. The two gazes that seemed to disturb him the most, belonged to steel-eyed scientist and the white and ice-like fiend in front of him. Their anticipation lingered in the air as the temper of Chaos strengthened.

Vincent willed it to stop, causing the anxiousness of the others to cease somewhat. In front of him, Rin's fiend snarled. Before he knew it, a hand as cold as ice held around his neck tightly, forcing him to step back. It did not hurt, but it was terribly cold. What could he do to stop it? His frown still present, he glanced to the others. Would they hurt the fiend if it injured him? And would that damage Rin?

Upon feeling his back hitting the wall his eyes twitched a little, and his burning, red gaze moved back to stare the fiend in its eyes. It did nothing, only stared back. Its features did not once change from that cold expression. Despite the fact that it did not look too different from Chaos, except from its color and element, he still found himself believing that the fiend was actually a female. Whether or not that had something to do with the fact that Rin was also a woman, he did not know. Nevertheless, he doubted he would find out.

But he could be wrong.

Feeling one final pulse of energy radiating from Chaos, Vincent's face contorted as he tried holding back. His futile attempt was stopped as he felt himself going through the transformation into Chaos. Even so, he willed himself to stay there, to stay present and not give in, no matter how much Chaos tried to take over his control. In the end, he was left with the mere ability of seeing what happened around him. At least it was better than not seeing anything at all.

The ice fiend still held around his neck, although her grip was not at all tight at the moment. Giving a warning growl, Chaos stared her down.

"Holy-" someone in the background muttered, probably Reno. Chaos paid no attention.

The inferior being right in front of him was far more interesting. Did she even know how weak she was compared to Chaos himself?

As if to demonstrate, Chaos kicked the wall behind him and charged at the fiend in front of him, forcing her to let go of his neck. Her yellow eyes widened upon feeling the force of his attack, and she only barely regained her balance by flapping her wings. Paying no heed to the other insignificant people in the room, Chaos stepped forward. The ice fiend changed her stance, as though trying to ready herself for a fight that had yet to fully begin.

"Do you have more drugs?" Tseng asked in a hushed, yet fast manner.  
"Yes – But not here..." the scientist answered, lost in thought upon watching the great fiends before him.

"Let's get out of here and find it. We'll come back later!" Reno suggested eagerly. Tseng gave a nod, and after glancing at the two creatures for a short moment, he left with the others, frowning.

Chaos, upon sensing that the hindrances left, stepped closer to the fiend in front of him, who in turn stepped back. Sensing her fear, mixed with anger, but also respect, the pace of his long strides increased. In turn, she flapped her wings to get out of his way, and knocked over the coach and a table as it quickly backed away. Upon getting dangerously close to the wall, she stopped. A snarl was heard as she gritted her teeth in a futile attempt to warn him. Chaos did not stop, but continued until he was right in front of her, and once he was close enough, he gave a small, yet evil grin, not attempting to hide his malice at all.

One of his arms snapped to her neck and held around it, like she had done with him. As he was about to force the ice fiend to the wall, his grip still strong, she kept him from doing so by doing just what he had done: She kicked the wall behind her and charged forward, and at the same time, she put her own hands around his strong neck. But even so, Chaos did not let go of her. Instead, he turned around, causing her to trip. She did not let go, and nor did he. They were both stronger than this, he knew. As they crashed down, both of the large fiends spread their wings. Each of them gave growls upon impact, neither intending to back down, though both knew who was the weakest.

The similarities between the two of them were many, yet their contrasting colors were far more striking, making it clear that each had attributes that the other did not.

One of her clawed hands eased around his neck while she looked up to him, and she moved it to his left shoulder, attempting to push him away to ease the heavy weight. Not allowing such a change of events, Chaos moved his free hand to hold down her arm, while moving his other hand up slightly to prevent her head from moving more than necessary. Then he lowered slowly, enjoying her intimidated state fully, his wings rising as he got closer to her. He moved his head closer to her neck and grazed her cold, ice-blue skin only slightly with his pointy teeth. Feeling her instantly start to move violently under him, he moved closer and let his sharp fangs sink through her soft skin, making her freeze completely. Both remained still, neither moving for a long moment.

Not moving at all was a sign of submission, but Chaos knew out of experience that she did it too soon. That meant she was trying to fool him, to coax him into letting her go. It was a petty trick, predictable as it was. His grip on her only tightened, and his teeth continued to sink through her skin. As a result, a small streak of red blood ran down her shoulder, a strong contrast to her skin, but matching the colors Chaos himself carried. The ice fiend flinched, but remained still, except for the increased pace of her breathing.

Did she think he would fall for that?

She pulled her legs closer to her, then used them to try pushing him away. At the same time, the door once again opened and the others came inside. Just as Chaos' teeth moved away from the spot between her neck and her shoulder, the scientist shot something in his direction. With his hands occupied, Chaos was hit. Giving a low growl, he flapped his wings once to get to his feet. The scientist shot the ice fiend as well. Not caring how, Chaos decided that the scientist had to get out of the way. He charged forward and the scientist quickly stepped backwards in an unprofessional manner. Chaos, suddenly feeling weakened, hit the door frame. A feeling of utter powerlessness shrouded his mind, making him snarl.

The drug was already starting to work. In the corner of an eye, he saw the ice fiend sway before falling once more, the streak of blood still caressing her bright skin.

----------------------------------

Vincent woke up not much later, in a sitting position on the coach. Remembering the recent events, he turned to look around. The first person he saw was Rin. Looking a lot more peaceful than before, she rested on the coach right next to him, her eyes half open. He was about to speak to her, but turned upon seeing something white. The scientists, all of them this time, watched him. Most with concern, one with anticipation.

"Sorry 'bout that. We didn't know what else to do to stop Chaos from breaking havoc, so we put him to sleep as well." Reno said, grinning wryly. Upon hearing his bright voice, Rin seemed to wake up a little.

"...And Tseng spoke to Rin. You know, about stuff. Hey, how ya feelin'? You okay?" he added, lowering down to face Rin. Her eyes widened a little, but remained dull.  
"Mhm..." she mumbled.

"Really? Follow my hand with your eyes..." Reno said, and moved his hand from one side to the other slowly. Rin, straining herself with narrowed eyes, moved her head far too slowly.  
"Heh. You been drinkin', or what?" Reno joked, but stopped as Tseng sent him a discreet warning with his strong, dark gaze.

Vincent did not pay attention. From what he could tell, Rin did not look angry, not even sad. She just looked calm, and a tiny bit tired. Had Tseng told her everything? Her eyelids dropped a little, but she blinked to stay awake. Reno noticed this, and once again spoke up.

"Say, have you given the fiend a name yet? Rude, you know any other words meaning the same as 'Chaos'?" Reno asked, turning to the bald man, who had yet to speak.  
"...As in synonyms?" he asked.  
"Yeah, synomys, synomyns, something. _Synonyms._" Reno repeated, and Rude frowned slightly and pushed his sunglasses in place, then cleared his voice while shifting.

"...Havoc, calamity, destruction, catastrophe, damage, devastation, riot, turmoil, commotion, vandalism, mess, uproar, clash, conflict, confrontation, onslaught, rampage, demolition, devastation, ruin, disaster-"

"Okay, stop. What about something more cheerful-sounding? Something like... Hullabaloo... or hodgepodge? Those are funny names..." Reno said in a laid-back way, but once again came to a halt upon noticing the others staring at him.  
"Eh... What I _meant _to say was that we could find a name that starts with an 'H', like in hodgepodge! That way it'll be more special. What do you say, Rude?" Reno tried again.

"Synonyms for 'chaos' starting with 'H'? ...Havoc, and..." Rude started, his frown deepening in concentration.  
"Okay! It's settled! Havoc! Catchy, that. 'Break Havoc' sounds much better than 'break Chaos', eh, Vincent?" Reno said confidently, earning himself a glare from Vincent, who was still in a daze. Tseng cleared his voice, which caught their attention.

"Reno, Rude. Take the equipment and escort the scientists back to the helicopters. I doubt Elena will be happy if you are late. If you are, she has to do your paperwork for you." Tseng said, his voice quiet and low, yet clear.  
"But that's why I _like_ being late!" Reno exclaimed. At that, Tseng tilted his head back only a little, and silently flashed the red-head yet another glare, much stronger this time. The two Turks did as they were told and slowly picked up the various devices in the room. The scientists helped, with the exception of the one with metal-like eyes, who was strangely quiet. Upon leaving, Reno stopped again.

"Take your time, boss!" he said.  
"Leave. I will be with you _shortly._" Tseng informed, which made Reno scowl a little, but he did as he was told. Once the others left, Tseng moved up to the two of them. They remained silent, and Rin looked up at the Turk in front of her.

"...You will be fine on your own, I presume?" he half asked, his face devoid of emotion, except for his arched brows. Vincent gave a small nod, then glanced at Rin. She flashed Tseng a faint smile while giving a few nods.

"Very well. Then, I shall take my leave..." Tseng said, a very small, yet genuine smile brightening his features. Tilting his head forward once, in an only barely visible nod, he turned and left. His swift strides carried him away, leaving the two of them in the dark room with the old piano. The silence was striking. Whatever could he say? How could he apologize? He had yet to find out whether or not she blamed him, but he was prepared for the worst. ...Did she understand?

"Thank you." Rin said silently, turning to him carefully. Her words took him aback.  
"...Why?" he asked.

"Eh... Because you kept me from dying. I would definitely not like to die like that."  
"And besides, I had already stopped aging by the time we first met. A fiend inside... I can live with it. I think." she added, suddenly knitting her eyebrows.  
"...Anyway, if you've lived for thirty years in a coffin, I'll be able to manage in a mansion for at least twice as long. I hope you'll give me some advice about... Havoc, was it? Sorry for making you have to go through all that." she muttered with half a smile, pulling her legs up and embracing them with her arms.

...It was that easy? Vincent had just said a single word, and that was 'Why?'.

"Why are you so forgiving?" he asked, his words barely audible. At that, she gave him a wide smile and poked his shoulder with one hand. Once again taken aback, Vincent looked at her in question. When he did not speak again, she turned to him with an embarrassed look on her face, a little more serious.

"...Because I care a lot about you." she muttered, her lips pursed while she spoke. After speaking, she crossed her arms and looked away.

* * *

...  
I hope you still like this story..?  
One chapter to go... Chapter 20, that is. I'll try uploading it before Christmas.  



	20. Admittance and Reminiscence

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Final Fantasy.

I chose the title of this story ('Procrastination') because Rin's and Vincent's relationship seems to be delayed all the time. I know their feelings may progress somewhat fast, but the point is this: they haven't really had too much time on their own, alone, without people or events interrupting. But now they have :) (finally?)  
---This chappie includes some small timeskips. (don't worry, no whole years:)  
---Merry Christmas! ...and Happy New Year! I should have gone to bed 24 hours ago. Or something.

* * *

Admittance and Reminiscence

* * *

Days passed. Long, quiet days in which not much happened. Even though Rin and Vincent spent time around each other, they didn't speak an awful lot. They exchanged words if it was necessary, or commented small things if they felt like it. Their silence was not awkward. On the contrary, both of them enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and welcomed it. Despite being rather clumsy at times, Rin also appreciated the quietness that seemed so unfamiliar at first. More than once, Vincent caught her in the act when she sat in one of the larger window frames and looked outside with a tender smile on her face. She had made a habit out of it.

She watched the frosty ground early in the morning with interest, until the sun came and made it melt into cold dew. He had never really thought of her as a person to delight in such simple things as looking out the window. However, she rarely sat still for too long, and occasionally wandered around the house to look around. Some days ago he helped her retrieve her things from the spider-infested room she found earlier, and he also rid the room of its spiders by using various magic spells. To her great delight, he had even removed the spiders after killing them.

As for the electricity, the lamps and the other electrical devices worked as usual again. That was thanks to the Turks. Vincent and Rin had found two notes in the kitchen, one scribbled in a hurry and the other looking a lot more formal.

_I fixed the power stuff!!! You better say thanks later, yo! -Reno : )  
I have attended to the power problem and did my best to fix what Reno did wrong. - Rude._

Rin found the notes remarkably amusing and put them on the fridge with one of the few magnets there. Vincent didn't mind, and paid no particular attention to it. The only time he actually watched the notes was when he found something to eat in the fridge.

Another thing he noticed was her increasing interest in the piano. Though she wasn't extraordinarily skilled, she managed to read the old sheet music. After practicing for a while, she even played whole melodies. He found himself content upon listening, and cherished the moments that occasionally took place in the old mansion. It was almost peculiar how the entire place seemed different from before. It was clean and tidy, and also warm thanks to the ovens. The ovens were, in fact, vital. As the days got colder and winter approached, he could only imagine how cold the mansion would be without them. He had never truly experienced any winters there, as being asleep inside a coffin eventually disturbed his sense of time. The temperature in such a small place did not change much even as seasons changed and years passed. He vaguely recalled how thing were when Cloud and his friends found him. Once the lid of his coffin was removed, the sudden change of temperature had taken him aback, to say the very least.

The monsters within him and Rin were another matter. He did not speak much of Chaos, and she barely mentioned Havoc.

However, one thing bothered him at first. In the short fight for dominance between Chaos and Havoc, Chaos bit her neck. It was not a particularly dangerous attack, nor deadly. In fact, it was instantly healed as Havoc retreated back into Rin. But the fangs of Chaos had left behind a delicate scar on Rin's shoulder that Vincent had failed to notice before that morning. It was hardly visible at all, but it was there. When he commented it and moved his index finger to touch it, Rin said it wasn't too serious. She had noticed it as well. Apparently, the small scar didn't hurt at all, nor did it trouble her. It just happened to be a little more sensitive than her other skin. Thus, when his slender index finger brushed it, she pulled up her shoulder as if his touch burned her. When he apologized, she laughed and said it didn't hurt, then explained that it just tickled.

At the moment, Vincent relaxed in the coach. He thought of how much matters had changed lately. Before Rin came to Nibelheim, things were quiet and dull. When she got to the mansion, however, things turned far more ...noisy. Things happened, events that otherwise were very unlikely to occur. And now that everything was back to normal again, the silence was striking. It was not a bad thing, not at all, because now it was different. He had time to think, to reflect. His memories were all but forgotten.

The incident with Rufus in Costa del Sol was still clear in his mind.

_Vincent looked absently at his clawed hand. It was slightly dented in some areas.  
"...So I punched him." he completed, and turned to Rin. Those dents on his clawed hand looked rather bad, and she found herself wondering whether Vincent had killed Rufus.  
"I didn't kill him, but I ended up dragging him back to Costa del Sol. His guards picked him up. Personally, I had more important thins to attend to. Like bringing your shopping bags to safety." he informed._

He also remembered the things he told Rin in the airship.

"_...Lucrecia... still lives. But she has locked herself away. In a prison of Mako." he said in a silent voice, and Rin averted her eyes.  
"She will never come back." she heard him add in a low voice. Rin didn't move, nor watch him. She hurried to the door, not knowing what else to do. But she was stopped as his arms wrapped around her from behind in an embrace, and she froze completely. His clawed hand rested lightly against one of her arms, while the other hand rested on her opposite arm, both of his arms wrapped around her gently. Rin felt some of the buckles of his cloak on her back and stopped breathing as she felt his breath run down her neck. _

Then there was the phone conversation Rin had with Yuffie.

_On his way to the kitchen, Vincent passed through the room in which Rin and Yuffie were still talking. He could hear Yuffie, as the speaker was turned on._  
"_-But hey, is he, like, romantic? Does he give you materia? Can I have some if he does?" he heard Yuffie ask in a mischievous way, making him frown. Rin's cheeks turned red.  
"Romantic?" he asked, his voice dark. The room turned incredibly quiet. _  
"_...Um, Rin, I have to go!" Yuffie said, then immediately hung up. Romantic? Still frowning, Vincent grabbed his phone from the table and looked at it with something akin to confusion._

Romantic... He did not exactly have much training in said area. That, however, did not necessarily mean he was not capable of it. Considering the fact that Rin was fond of him, he could even try. How would she react? He pondered the idea unhurriedly, watching the piano in the other side of the room in an absent manner. After a while, he just closed his eyes and brushed his thoughts away. It was too late for him to start readying something. It would probably take too long either way. Perhaps he could try some other day, when it came to mind. Rin was most likely asleep already.

"Vincent? Are you still up?" he heard, and opened his eyes to see Rin coming inside. She was dressed in a white nightgown that went down to her ankles, and it was slightly large. Her sleeves hid her hands, and her shoulders were only partially covered, leaving her neck exposed. She looked away and walked past the piano on her way to the kitchen, but stopped.

"Sorry if I woke you up. I couldn't sleep." she said, smiling only a little too brightly. At that, Vincent found himself strangely taken aback.  
"Do you always sleep here? Or do you sleep in the basement..?" she asked, curious. Vincent moved his shoe-less feet to the floor and rose to his feet. He didn't wear his boots, nor his gloves, and his claw was not there to shield his arm. That left him in his crimson, tattered cloak, his black clothes and his dark red bandanna. In front of any other person he would have felt exposed, but not now.

"...I sleep upstairs." he said in something akin to a murmur. She smiled kindly, then walked closer to him. Her bare feet moved soundlessly. Though the single lamp in the room shone brightly, it was rather dark in there. Even so, he had no problems seeing her. Her white gown, too large, made it quite easy for him to follow her with his gaze. She stopped in front of him and looked up at him.

"Then why are you down here?" she asked, her voice sounding pleasant and tender. What should he answer? He had been thinking for quite a while.  
"You're not even wearing pyjamas. Aren't you going to sleep at all?" she asked. She pulled back her sleeve so her hand showed and moved her index finger up to touch his headband. The gentle touch of hers was gentle and brief, and she soon pulled back her hand. He searched her eyes when she looked at him, still smiling softly. His crimson gaze no longer appeared to intimidate her, and she looked back with green orbs that almost seemed strangely valiant. Yet, at the same time, she looked unmistakably delicate and vulnerable. Beneath that fragile appearance of hers was a dangerous secret that only very few knew of. Havoc, like Chaos, was unstable.

"I am planning to go to bed shortly." he answered, absently moving a hand to his red bandanna that she had touched only moments ago. She flashed a lopsided smile.

"If that's the case, goodnight. And... can I try?" she asked, pointing at his headband. Vincent lowered his hand and gave a barely visible nod, not quite knowing what she asked about. She moved both of her hands up, and her sleeves fell back as she did. Vincent remained still while watching her and feeling his headband being loosened. Rin carefully removed it, and it fell over his face and continued down to rest around his neck, where his cloak partially hid it. Rin pulled it away slowly and held it in both of her hands while watching him in what looked like awe.

"You look good even when you're not wearing this!" she said, her lopsided smile still present, caressing her features. He raised a hand to touch his bare forehead.

"Is that so?" he asked and once again lowered his hand. She gave an affirmative nod.

"Anyway, goodnight. Again. ...Can I?" she asked, once again asking a question he did not know the contents of. Even so, he gave a slow nod. He was surprised, to say the least, when she closed the distance between them and gave him a big hug, her arms wrapping around him. It was a pleasant surprise, though, and he did not pull back. Instead, he returned it by embracing her, locking his arms around her gently. What had at first been a goodnight-hug, if his guess was correct, turned into an extremely long-lasting embrace, in which no words were exchanged. He had yet to say goodnight, and she had already said it twice. Her face rested against his cloak-covered chest.

In such a situation, he could not fail to feel the intimacy between them as she rested against him. He let one of his hands run down her back leisurely and let his face lower until he could smell her sweet scent. He inhaled slowly as if not wanting to forget it, and then let his hand trace her spine until he touched her light brown hair. It was only slightly longer than his own, but his was more ragged by far. And he didn't mind. Her hair felt soft when he touched it.

She tilted her head back a little to see his face and he looked down. Upon feeling her embrace ease a little, he once again searched her green orbs. Her eyes were only slightly narrowed, not in suspicion, but wonder. His grip did not falter. Instead, he pulled her a little closer. Her eyes flashed between his two crimson orbs as she watched him, but she didn't turn away. His eyes narrowed slowly. At the same time, he let one arm move up to the collar of his cloak. Not pulling it down, he chose to open the two upper buckles instead. Rin blinked once, her eyes never moving away. He let his hand slide down to her back again, an action that made her close her eyes for a brief moment.

Not hesitating, he closed the space between them by leaning in and giving her a chaste kiss.

He heard her inhale a little, but then she calmed. Not pulling back, Vincent deepened the kiss only a little, while letting one hand run up to support her neck. His other arm snaked its way around her waist to pull her closer, and at the same time he felt her hands make their way under his cloak to his back and take hold of his black shirt. Opening his eyes for a split second, he caught a glimpse of her shoulder and recalled her nearly invisible scar. Letting his hand lower from the back of her head, he brushed the sensitive skin between her shoulder and neck with his slender fingers. He could tell that he touched her scar by the way she pulled up her shoulder, reacting to his gentle caress.

Once she pulled away and broke the kiss just enough for him to see her hearty, lopsided smile, he stifled it by leaning in to kiss her again.

This was, though in an odd way, more than Lucrecia had given him. He had never kissed her, nor even embraced her. He had come to care for her from the first time they met, yes, but things never grew from there. It was different with Rin; it had taken him longer to get used to her and start cherishing her company. But it had developed into something more, something strong that he had yet to fully experience and explore. The fact that she loved him back only fortified the content sensation he felt when he held her. He could feel her heart beating, side by side with his own.

He pulled back and looked down into her eyes, which looked amusingly unfamiliar. After watching each other a long, silent moment, he tilted the corners of his mouth in a very rare smile. That earned him an equal smile from her, and though it was not an overly unusual thing to see her do, it still delighted him. It was as though something inside him was mended and refined, then nicely arranged all over again.

"...Good night." he said in a whisper, afraid to break the moment if his words were too loud.

"Goodnight." she replied, whispering back. Hesitatingly, she let go of him, and he let his arms slide away from her slowly. She still held his bandanna in one hand, and handed it to him in a swift, yet slow movement.

-----------------------------------

The days following that particular evening brought more light to her life than she could recall ever having before. Rin felt as if nothing could break the wonderful time she was having. Yuffie called Vincent's phone several times to talk with her about some new materia she had found, much to Vincent's chagrin. Tifa called once as well, to hear about things. That call lasted for quite a while, as Rin told her about everything that had happened. Assuring Tifa that everything was fine and that she was doing all right, she also avoided telling her about her and Vincent's growing attachment to each other.

Their first true problem, however, occurred in mid-winter when Havoc grew tired of staying silent at all times. Rin was quite flustered in the beginning, not knowing what to do, nor how to handle things. Even so, she managed quite nicely. Once Havoc was done stretching her wings outside and was satisfied, Rin was once again granted control. Slightly distraught, she was taken back into the warm mansion by a much calmer Vincent.

"...How are you feeling?" he asked, watching her intently with his crimson orbs, searching her green eyes for an answer with the burning gaze of his. She glanced past him at the stairs. Though she felt rather shaky, she didn't feel bad, at least.  
"Never better, considering the circumstances." she replied, flashing him her lopsided smile. Having Havoc control everything she did was strange, and left her knees feeling like some kind of expired jelly. She was still perfectly able to walk, though. Despite that, Vincent scooped her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

"Hey, I can walk on... my own?" Rin said, but then she vaguely remembered a certain accident back when she first got to the mansion, which included the stairs and her sword. It was not exactly her fondest memory.

_In her rush, she managed to stumble and fall down the stairs head first. Pulling up her arms to protect herself, she braced herself for whatever could be in her way. Rolling down the stairs was not among the most quiet things she had done, but once she got to the bottom of the stairs and stopped, she concluded that the noise was worse than the damage.  
She wasn't hurt at all, at least not physically. Her pride was slightly dented, though._

_Rin got to her feet and noticed that her arm felt slightly strange. Looking down to the floor, she noticed her sword. She had put it there this morning. Feeling her arm getting warmer, she frowned and moved it up in front of her face. After glancing at it, she immediately turned away. It was bleeding. While mentally reminding herself to never leave her sword close to the stairs ever again, she hurried over to her bag while clutching her arm._

"But... My sword isn't here now..." she complained, barely audible. This earned her quite an impressive smirk from Vincent, who came to a halt on top of the stairs. Carefully, he let go of her and watched as she stepped onto the floor. Without at all swaying, she flashed him an overly solemn look, including creased brows, pursed lips and narrowed eyes.

His smirk didn't falter, and before she could change her mind, she stepped closer and gave him a kiss. She was rewarded as his arms snaked around her, his clawed arm staying around her waist while he let the other slide up to her neck. He leaned closer to her and deepened the kiss, then tightened the grip around her, his grip strong, yet tender. It felt as though he would never let her go again. And she didn't mind.

* * *

---  
"...sitting in a (Christmas) tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g..." (or?)  
Merry Christmas : ) 


End file.
